Are tumors causing stricture of bile duct always malignant?

The benign biliary tract tumor is rarely found in clinical practice. One case of bile duct adenomyoma was recently reported in the January 28 issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology. This paper cited studies on how to differentiate it pre-operatively, and may be helpful to surgeons and beneficial to patients.

The paper described a patient who presented to Dr. Gui-Ming Shu of Tianjin Third Central Hospital, affiliated to Tianjin Medical University, China, in 2005. The patient presented with yellow skin and sclera and complained of itching for two months. He suffered from anorexia and occasional nausea. Tea colored urine, yellowish white feces and weight loss of 2.5 kg were found.

Nothing special was found in the physical examination except the yellowish skin and sclera. Then Computerized Tomography (CT), Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), ultrasonography and blood biochemistry examinations were performed, presenting a suspected tumor of the distal bile duct. Later, the patient was treated successfully by pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Histologically, the tumor was adenomyoma, a seldom found benign disease of the bile duct. The patient has been well without any evidence of recurrence for 12 months since his operation.

Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology