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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1449865

Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma Masquerading as intrahepatic cholestasis of Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Provisionally accepted
Chao Xiao Chao Xiao 1,2*Cheng-jian Cao Cheng-jian Cao 1Xue Xiao Xue Xiao 2Qi-Jun Cheng Qi-Jun Cheng 1
  • 1 Zigong First People's Hospital, Zigong, China
  • 2 West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a tumor arising from the epithelium of the intrahepatic bile ducts, rarely diagnosed before forty years old, and with a very aggressive trait: 95% of patients die within 5 years. We first report in great detail a perihilar CCA (pCCA) case during pregnancy that is masquerading as an ICP: first, she had typical pruritus, particularly in her limbs; second, a raised biomarker of total bile acid (TBA); third, onset in the second trimester fitting with epidemiology; and finally and importantly, there was no mass in her liver. First-line drugs were given to treat ICP, but finally failed, ultimately identified as pCCA. Following an inadequate excision, Chinese medicine was administered. After 26 months, she succumbed to cachexia. Because gestational symptoms are sometimes associated with pregnant disorders, pCCA in pregnant women is frequently misdiagnosed.The symptoms of jaundice, pruritus, and dilated bile duct in pregnant women may be alerts of pCCA.And, the appropriate treatment of pCCA of pregnancy could be surgery or chemotherapy; if surgery is not acceptable, chemotherapy could also extend the gestational week. Our work is meaningful and educational for the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant-relative diseases, like ICP and pCCA.

    Keywords: Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, Pruritus, Jaundice, Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, case report

    Received: 16 Jun 2024; Accepted: 08 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Xiao, Cao, Xiao and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Chao Xiao, Zigong First People's Hospital, Zigong, China

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