Symptoms of biliary tract cancers

Biliary tract cancers may not cause any signs and symptoms in its early stages. Signs and symptoms often appear as the tumour grows and causes changes in the body, such as a lump in your abdomen or changes in your urine (pee). Other health conditions can cause the same signs and symptoms as biliary tract cancers.

Biliary tract cancers can start in cells of either the gallbladder or bile duct. When cancer starts in gallbladder cells, it's called primary gallbladder cancer. When cancer starts in bile duct cells, it's called primary bile duct cancer. The following signs and symptoms may be caused by gallbladder or bile duct cancer:

• abdominal pain on your right side below your ribs
• nausea
• vomiting
• jaundice
• stool that is pale or light-coloured and smells very foul
• urine that is dark yellow or brown
• itching (often all over the body)
• malaise
• loss of appetite
• weight loss
• swelling of the abdomen or bloating
• fever
• lump on the right side of the abdomen below the ribs