Cystic duct carcinoma
Cystic duct carcinoma is a bile duct cancer arising in the short tube that joins the gallbladder to the main bile duct. It is staged as a gallbladder cancer under the AJCC system, and behaves better when it stays inside the duct than when it grows beyond it. It is so rare that its treatment borrows from gallbladder and bile duct cancer.
Overview
The cystic duct runs from the gallbladder neck to the common hepatic duct. Cancers arising here have been classified sometimes with the extrahepatic bile ducts and sometimes with the gallbladder; the AJCC staging manual has placed the cystic duct in the gallbladder chapter since its 7th edition (2010) (Prasoon 2019), and the WHO classification covers the gallbladder and extrahepatic bile ducts in one chapter. A 2025 Korean study compared 38 cystic duct cancers with 345 gallbladder and 349 distal bile duct cancers: overall survival did not differ between the three, the gallbladder T categories separated survival in cystic duct cancer better than the bile duct categories did, and tumours confined within the duct (Nakata type 1) did significantly better than those extending beyond it, leading the authors to propose a two-tier T category (T1 confined to the duct, T2 beyond it) (Kim 2025). Cancers can also arise in the cystic duct remnant years after cholecystectomy; jaundice, haemobilia and positive bile cytology led to the diagnosis in one reported case, staged pT1b N0 after bile duct resection (Prasoon 2019).
What differs in treatment: the tumour sits at the junction with the common duct, so resection usually means excision of the extrahepatic bile duct with hepaticojejunostomy and regional lymphadenectomy, often with the gallbladder and liver bed as in a radical cholecystectomy, and the cystic duct margin of any gallbladder specimen is where such a tumour is first suspected. Systemic treatment follows the biliary tract cancer trials. No trial has studied cystic duct cancer on its own.
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Anatomy and lymph node drainage
- Pancreatic head (most PDAC)
- Body and tail
- Ampulla
- Islets (pancreatic NET)
- Intrahepatic ducts
- Perihilar (Klatskin)
- Distal bile duct
- Gallbladder
- Nodes: peripancreatic
- Nodes: hepatic hilar
- Nodes: coeliac and superior mesenteric
Most pancreatic cancers arise in the head next to the bile duct, which is why jaundice is the presenting sign; bile duct cancers are named by where along the tree they sit.
- Pancreatic head (most PDAC)
- Body and tail
- Ampulla
- Islets (pancreatic NET)Cystic duct carcinoma extending to the gallbladder neck or common bile duct (Nakata types 2 to 4)
- Intrahepatic ducts
- Perihilar (Klatskin)
- Distal bile duct
- GallbladderCystic duct carcinoma extending to the gallbladder neck or common bile duct (Nakata types 2 to 4)
- peripancreatic
- hepatic hilar
- coeliac and superior mesenteric
Same organ: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (perihilar and distal), Biliary tract cancer (all types), Neuroendocrine tumours, Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, Grade 3 well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumour, Extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma, Gallbladder cancer, Gallbladder adenocarcinoma, Papillary carcinoma of the gallbladder, Mucinous carcinoma of the gallbladder, Adenosquamous and squamous carcinoma of the gallbladder, Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder, Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Carcinoma in situ and dysplasia of the gallbladder, Ampullary cancer (ampulla of Vater), Resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Borderline resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Locally advanced unresectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, KRAS G12C-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, KRAS wild-type pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, BRCA or PALB2-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Mismatch repair deficient (MSI-high) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma, Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm and other pancreatic cystic precursors, Pancreatoblastoma
Very rare: 38 cases against 345 gallbladder and 349 distal bile duct cancers in the Korean series that defined its staging (Kim 2025); only a handful of cancers arising in the remnant cystic duct after cholecystectomy have ever been reported (Prasoon 2019).
Cases by country
No country-level case numbers. This cancer is not mapped to a GLOBOCAN site.
One section per setting: the options named, what each is for, the trials behind them, the recorded trade-offs and the questions to ask.
Extrahepatic bile duct resection with regional lymphadenectomy, with cholecystectomy and liver bed resection as for radical cholecystectomy when the gallbladder is still present.
Subtypes & biomarkers
top- Cystic duct carcinoma confined within the cystic duct (Nakata type 1; better survival)
- Cystic duct carcinoma extending to the gallbladder neck or common bile duct (Nakata types 2 to 4)
- Carcinoma arising in the remnant cystic duct after cholecystectomy
- Extent : confined to the duct or beyond it
- T category by the gallbladder scheme
- Bile duct margin status
- Bile cytology in remnant duct cancer
How often this target appears
Dated changes read from the records linked to this cancer: approvals, regulatory steps, reported trials, guideline versions and milestones. Newest first; no date is inferred.
On EdgeAll 1 changes by month →What is in development for Cystic duct carcinoma, drawn from the whole corpus: 0 items. Drugs are grouped by the most advanced trial phase they have reached anywhere; approved treatments sit under standard of care. Technologies are the methods being tested for this cancer, trials are the studies recorded here, and ideas are proposals not yet in a trial.
Nothing recorded in development for this cancer yet.
Open problems and what is being done
Trials
topTrials recruiting now
Country and place are remembered in this browser only. A postcode is sent to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to find coordinates when you press the button; nothing else leaves your device.
Expert centres
topExpert centres
Baltimore · cancer center | United States | 0 | 2,962 | 42,161 | #10 | ||
Rozzano (Milan) · hospital | Italy | none recorded | 0 | 1,031 | 10,720 | - | |
Madrid · hospital | Spain | none recorded | 0 | 765 | 13,961 | - | |
Lausanne · hospital | Switzerland | none recorded | 0 | 509 | 9,176 | - | |
Brussels · cancer center | Belgium | none recorded | 0 | 489 | 8,689 | - | |
Philadelphia, PA · consortium | United States | none recorded | 0 | 165 | 1,237 | - | |
Neu-Isenburg · consortium | Germany | none recorded | 0 | 94 | 1,947 | none recorded | - |
Chicago, IL · consortium | United States | none recorded | 0 | 42 | 482 | - |
These are the things we can measure; they are not a ranking of quality. Each column is a field on the institution record or a count over what OnCo has linked; a centre that treats many patients with Cystic duct carcinoma but is thinly recorded here will look small.
Not known: OnCo holds no case-volume or outcome figures for centres, so none are shown. Where a national audit or registry publishes them, the centre's page links to it. Default order: Newsweek rank, then trials for this cancer, then research output.
Questions to ask
topQuestions to ask your oncologist about Cystic duct carcinoma
Newly diagnosed
- What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?Why: Everything else follows from an accurate stage and subtype.
- Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example Extent: confined to the duct or beyond it, T category by the gallbladder scheme, Bile duct margin status, Bile cytology in remnant duct cancer), and what were the results?Why: These results decide eligibility for targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and trials.
- Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?Why: Recognised subtypes for this cancer include Cystic duct carcinoma confined within the cystic duct, Cystic duct carcinoma extending to the gallbladder neck or common bile duct, Carcinoma arising in the remnant cystic duct after cholecystectomy.
- Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?Why: Inherited variants can change treatment and matter for relatives.
Resectable disease
- For my situation (resectable disease), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?Why: Guideline options include: Extrahepatic bile duct resection with regional lymphadenectomy, with cholecystectomy and liver bed resection as for radical cholecystectomy when the gallbladder is still present.
Advanced disease
- For my situation (advanced disease), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?Why: Guideline options include: As for biliary tract cancer.
- Am I a candidate for Gemcitabine + cisplatin, Durvalumab, Pembrolizumab, and what side effects should I expect?Why: Knowing the expected toxicities helps you plan work, family, and supportive care.
Any stage
- Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?Why: Rare or high-stakes decisions benefit from a centre that treats many similar patients.
- What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?Why: Supportive care improves quality of life and helps patients complete treatment.
Newly diagnosed? Read the first 60 days with Cystic duct carcinoma, then print the one-page appointment sheet with room for the answers.
Print this page for your appointment (your browser's print command). These prompts are for discussion; your clinical team knows your case.
Direct links plus the targets, companies, and technologies of this cancer's products.
technologies
4targets
2drugs
3companies
2terms
5Latest papers
topQuery for this cancer: (TITLE:"Cystic duct carcinoma" OR ABSTRACT:"Cystic duct carcinoma" OR TITLE:"Cystic duct cancer" OR ABSTRACT:"Cystic duct cancer" OR TITLE:"Carcinoma of the cystic duct" OR ABSTRACT:"Carcinoma of the cystic duct" OR TITLE:"Remnant cystic duct carcinoma" OR ABSTRACT:"Remnant cystic duct carcinoma") AND (treatment OR therapy OR trial OR survival OR diagnosis). Results are unfiltered search hits about Cystic duct carcinoma, not a curated reading list.
Similar pages
not linked directly; found by shared links- CancerGallbladder adenocarcinoma
Shares Cystic duct margin, Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gemcitabine + cisplatin and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- CancerCarcinoma in situ and dysplasia of the gallbladder
Shares Cystic duct margin, Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- CancerMucinous carcinoma of the gallbladder
Shares Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gemcitabine + cisplatin, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- CancerAdenosquamous and squamous carcinoma of the gallbladder
Shares Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gemcitabine + cisplatin, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- CancerPapillary carcinoma of the gallbladder
Shares Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- CancerNeuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder
Shares Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary, subtype-page.
- TermPort-site metastasis
Shares Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary.
- TermSegment IVb and V liver resection (versus wedge resection)
Shares Incidental gallbladder cancer (found after cholecystectomy), Radical (extended) cholecystectomy, Gallbladder cancer and the tags gallbladder, biliary.