HI DR. RADHAKRISHNATHANKS FOr BEING AVAILABLE.My dad is 88 and has stage 4 liver cancer, it was never deternined if it is cholangriocarcinoma. Only June 14 he was told a pet scan showed it has metasticisd to aorta and elsewhere, and that he was not a good candidate for chemio. Three days ago he got a bellyache that zantac _ prevacid could not help so his oncologist but him on creon. It worked. So my question is, does this mean the duct blockage to the pancreas is connected to the liver issue?
Hi, Thanks for writing in. The liver is a large organ where bile generation takes place. Bile is an important digestive juice and is essential. For the bile generated in the liver to reach the intestine, it has to flow through dedicated biliary channels. First the bile from both lobes of liver collects in the gall bladder and from there it is again let out in to the intestine through the common bile duct. This common bile duct is a tube like structure and is surrounded by the head of pancreas at its termination. Therefore, any pressure in or around the pancreas will cause hold up of bile. The cholangiocarcinoma can cause blockage to biliary passage within the liver leading to pooling of bile in intrahepatic location.