When patients develop a narrowing or blockage in the bile ducts – the tubes connecting the liver, gallbladder and intestines – physicians must determine whether the cause is cancer or a benign condition. The location of these blockages adds challenges to the diagnosis, and this uncertainty can delay treatment decisions for patients in the event they have this rare type of cancer.
Scientists at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine developed BiliSeq, a molecular test that detected bile duct cancer with twice the sensitivity of the standard test, giving physicians a more accurate picture of the patient’s diagnosis.
Published today in Gastroenterology, the flagship journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, the study…