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Biliary tract cancer: Facts and figures

View the British Society of Gastroenterology key recommendations

BTC is a heterogenous group of cancers, classified into subtypes dependent on their site of origin^1–3

A diverse range of risk factors exists for BTC, but many are associated with chronic inflammation²

BTC (CCA and gallbladder cancer) incidence in the UK is rare^12–14

Patients are often diagnosed late and therefore have a poor prognosis¹

In the UK, BTC is relatively rare, affecting around 2000–2500 people per year^13,14

A recent study shows the age-standardised incidence rate for CCAs in the UK was 4.0 per 100,000 in females and 4.6 per 100,000 in males¹⁴

BTC is most common in people over 60 years of age although incidence appears to be increasing across all age groups¹²

Most patients with BTC (>65%) are diagnosed with advanced disease¹ 

Prognosis is poor with 5-year survival rate being <10%¹⁵ 

In 2019 CCA was the cause of 2754 deaths in England alone¹²

CCA incidence has been steadily increasing in England¹⁶

Age-standardised incidence rates for CCA subtype in England (2001–2017)¹⁶

The UK incidence of gallbladder cancer has increased by 66% since the early 1990s, which may largely reflect the changing prevalence of risk factors, and improvements in diagnostic techniques¹⁷

In the UK, the incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (iCCAs) has increased, which could be due to an increase in known risk factors as well as improvement in diagnosis^16,18,22

The incidence of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas (eCCAs) is lower than that of iCCAs. This may be due to the misclassification of eCCA as iCCA²²

Variation in incidence across England has worsened over time¹⁵

Adapted from Khan SA 2020

Given the continual increase in CCA incidence and mortality, additional research is needed to investigate the causes behind these regional variances, which may be due to differences in risk factors, clinical services, or a combination of both¹⁵

Mortality rates have generally risen for CCA^4,20

Trends in global mortality rates for BTC from 1990⁴

Adapted from Ouyang G et al. 2021

Between 1990 and 2017 the global mortality rate from BTC increased by 65%⁴

In the UK, the mortality rate of BTC increased from an age-standardised rate (ASR) of 2.59 in 2006 to 3.83 in 2016²⁰

Gallbladder cancer is more common in women than men; CCAs tend to occur equally in men and women

*Please note, the values presented for eCCA are estimations due to lack of accurate data values on the x-axis in the referenced article.

Watch a video highlighting the unmet need in BTC

AoV, ampulla of vater; AS, age-standardised; ASIR, age-standardised incidence rate; ASR, age-standardised rate; BTC, biliary tract cancer; CCA, cholangiocarcinoma; eCCA, extrahepatic CCA; iCCA, intrahepatic CCA.

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Valle J, et al. Lancet. 2021;397:428–44
Cancer Research UK. What is bile duct cancer? Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bile-duct-cancer/about. Accessed April 2025
Ouyang G, et al. Cancer. 2021;127:2238–2250
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AMMF. Introduction to Cholangiocarcinoma. Available at: https://ammf.org.uk/cholangiocarcinoma/. Accessed April 2025
Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Improving the standard of care for biliary tract cancers around the world. Available at: https://www.mcrc.manchester.ac.uk/impact-case-studies/improving-the standard-of-care-for-biliary-tract-cancers-around-the-world/. Accessed April 2025
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Khan SA. An Overview of Cholangiocarcinoma. Presented at AMMF’s Cholangiocarcinoma Patients and Carers Information Day. 2020. Available at: https://ammf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/1.CCA_AMMF_Pt-day_29oct2020.pdf. Accessed April 2025
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Cancer Research UK. Gallbladder cancer incidence statistics. Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/statistics-by-cancer-type/gallbladder-cancer/incidence. Accessed April 2025
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Florio A, et al. Cancer. 2020;126:2666–2678. (Supplementary material FigS3 and FigS4)

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Biliary tract cancer: Facts and figures

BTC is a heterogenous group of cancers, classified into subtypes dependent on their site of origin^1–3

A diverse range of risk factors exists for BTC, but many are associated with chronic inflammation²

BTC (CCA and gallbladder cancer) incidence in the UK is rare^12–14

CCA incidence has been steadily increasing in England¹⁶

Variation in incidence across England has worsened over time¹⁵

Mortality rates have generally risen for CCA^4,20

Gallbladder cancer is more common in women than men; CCAs tend to occur equally in men and women

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Biliary tract cancer: Facts and figures

BTC is a heterogenous group of cancers, classified into subtypes dependent on their site of origin1–3

A diverse range of risk factors exists for BTC, but many are associated with chronic inflammation2

BTC (CCA and gallbladder cancer) incidence in the UK is rare12–14

CCA incidence has been steadily increasing in England16

Variation in incidence across England has worsened over time15

Mortality rates have generally risen for CCA4,20

Gallbladder cancer is more common in women than men; CCAs tend to occur equally in men and women

Abbreviations and References

Enhance your knowledge, stay informed

Be the first to know. Hear about events, products and ways to support your patients.

Thank you. We will be in touch

BTC is a heterogenous group of cancers, classified into subtypes dependent on their site of origin^1–3

A diverse range of risk factors exists for BTC, but many are associated with chronic inflammation²

BTC (CCA and gallbladder cancer) incidence in the UK is rare^12–14

CCA incidence has been steadily increasing in England¹⁶

Variation in incidence across England has worsened over time¹⁵

Mortality rates have generally risen for CCA^4,20