How long?

Hi Mpurchis,

Welcome to our community.  I hope you have had a chance to look over all the patient and caregiver resources on the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation website.

Your question is an interesting one for which I have not seen any research numbers.  The experiences of patients posting on the board are all over the map in terms of clues about how long the cholangiocarcinoma had been present before symptoms were noticed by the patient or discovered accidentally by a doctor.  Some people had mystery symptoms for a few years, and for others the diagnosis came out of the blue.

In my own case, I had completed a very comprehensive four-doctor physical just four months before I was diagnosed.  I had been declared to be in excellent health.  After the tumor was discovered, it seemed grow a fair amount during the six weeks it took to get me into surgery.  So my impression was it had come on quickly and aggressively.  But then I remember some mild tightness felt in my abdomen a year earlier that came and went.  Was that a first sign?  I’ll probably never know.

Cholangiocarcinoma has many manifestations.  Some people’s cancers strike hard, for others the cancer is lazy and takes its time.

I hope you are feeling well and having good medical care.  Take care, regards, Mary