Biliary Tract Carcinoma Associated with Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

This paper reports 15 well-documented cases in which a biliary tract tumour has developed in a patient with ulcerative colitis. Most patients had both a long history of colitis and total involvement of the colon. Seven of the patients were managed medically for the colitis and in eight total proctocolectomy was carried out. In the latter group, the tumour was diagnosed at intervals varying from three to 13 years after surgery. The primary tumour was in the gall bladder in one patient, intrahepatic in site in one case and arose from the extrahepatic bile ducts in 13 patients. It is suggested that these tumours are approximately 10 times more frequent in patients with ulcerative colitis than in the general population.