Are there different types of cholangiocarcinoma?

Are there different types of cholangiocarcinoma?

There are three types of cholangiocarcinoma:

• Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is bile duct cancer outside the liver. Cancer may be in the ducts as they exit the liver, or in the ducts when they end in the small intestine. This is the most common type of bile duct cancer. A subset within extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is hilar cholangiocarcinoma, meaning a bile duct cancer that is outside the liver, but starts in the hilum, which is the area where the bile ducts and important blood vessels connect with the liver.
• Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is bile duct cancer inside the liver. This should not be confused with liver cancer, which is more often referred to as hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC.
• Gallbladder cancer is cholangiocarcinoma that starts in the gallbladder.