Causes?
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At age 77 and the surgery for the ampullary mass was my first time in the hospital. I suspect cholesterol lowering drugs may be the culprit…
I took lipitor for 10 years prior to my surgery. I am otherwise healthy.Was 51 when I was diagnosed just went jaundice and started itching. My surgeon tells me the tumor may have been in me for years no reason why it reared its ugly head when it did.
I’m never satisfied with the answer “it’s just bad luck.” I think everything in life is a result of something else. I try to support different philanthropies who raise money for medical research in hopes that researchers and doctors find either cures or what to avoid to prevent oneself from getting a disease.
I’m voting with bad luck. Never smoked, occasional drinker (@ hockey games), no GI problems, excercised my whole life (soccer, skiing, walking, biking).
I wasn’t a vegetarian, but had a normal, probably higher-fat diet.
Same with me Kristin. Never smoked, rarely drank, tried to eat healthy, but I was overweight and seemed to always be dieting. Never had any gastro. problems to speak of or that I remember. I was diagnosed at age 52. Originally thought there could be a link to genetics (my mother has many gallbladder, pancreas difficulties) that didn’t get to me yet, and then I added fertility drugs in there.
Don’t really know and haven’t linked anything to CC. Just unlucky too. I’d rather concentrate on the cure right now instead of why did I get it.
Linda Z.
Never smoked, don’t drink, 18-mile-a-week runner and weight lifter, healthy vegetarian diet… and diagnosed with cc at age 46. I was just unlucky.
Sometimes there just are no “reasons” for things, and we only make ourselves miserable trying to come up with them.
My mother had intermittent and manageable heartburn for the year before she was diagnosed (at age 76). I do remember that in her 40’s she had either ulcers or heartburn- we all thought it was stress at the time.
But the complaint that brought her in for an MRI was a chronic pain in the back of her neck which turned out to be one of many metastic tumors in her spine and skeleton. A tiny tumor was found sitting on her bile duct- poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, considered likely to be cholangio, possibly gall bladder cancer. It has been 8 months since the initial diagnosis- gem-cis has halted the growth and spread of tumors- We are so grateful. But she is on her second transfusion- the chemo is doing its thing on her blood.
Clearly she has had cancer for some time. There were no real signs WHILE she had whatever metastasized into hundreds of blastic bone mets.
She smoked from age 16-35. Generally excellent heath and diet (though not organic), not an exerciser but slim.
Who would have ever guessed?
God bless you all, and may someone benefit from the wonderful collection of anecdotes uniquely available on this important site.I am a classical risk factor progression case. Autoimmune disease since at least 11 years old – at which time I developed Ulcerative Colitis. Developed colon cancer at age 27 at which time it was discovered that I had Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (probably the LARGEST risk factor with up to 40% of patients developing cholangiocarcinoma). Five years after that and just after turning 32, I developed cholangiocarcinoma.
Looking back, at the string of events, you would think that I knew this would eventually happen. But the Dr’s did a good job of keeping my mind off the topic and touting advances in research, treatment, cures, etc.
Obviously if anyone had a better inclination this would happen, I would have received a preventative liver transplant and jejunoectomy in which my diseased liver is disposed of and the intestine is rerouted to serve as the common bile duct.
Rick
Gosh I read someplace that Hepatitis C victims can be more prone to cc and anyone who had contact working with some old green army paint…and maybe that had something to do with men in their late 60/70s. But I have googled to the bone and can’t find anything to support causes for CC. Seems it first said male and later in life, and now too many people under 50 are getting it. All the info on the internet seems older, no good statistics on how many get it today, survival rates, standard treatments. It remains all over the board which makes it very scary and less cases for doctors to treat or become familiar with. I’m going with “bad luck”. It is sucks! excuse my language. Hang in there jtoro, you just never know. I found someone on this site who has cc tumors in them for years, living for years, tumors just hanging out and not changing and so honestly, you just never know, and we all cherish success stories.
Interesting thread which I have wondered about for some time.
My Dad was diagnosed just 7 weeks before he died, he had always suffered with really bad heartburn, took statins for high cholesterol but otherwise no symptoms on diagnosis…… He was 72 years old.
There is another thread around considering the correlation between cholesterol medications and cc.
Katie
Hi all
I’m 49 and up until 10 years ago I also had a problem with heartburn and I needed to watch my diet (no soft drinks etc). The problem just disapeared.My surgeon has no idea of the causes of CC.
Gerry
My Upper GI Consultant and my surgeons both had no ideas how or why CC occurs, and think it is just the luck of the draw.
However, looking back over the years I am now wondering about several possible causes relevant to me.
1. I used to smoke until 7 years ago
2. For over 25 years I had GI problems, bloating, wind, alternation between loose stools and constipation (I am wondering whether I had something like ulcerative colitis without being diagnosed, or IBS). I never sought medical help for these.
3. I had two episodes of threadworms, once about 25 years ago, the other about 10 years ago. I treated myself with OVEX tablets.
4. Poor diet, high fat on occasions.
3. Very slim until 7 years ago when I gave up smoking, then I piled on the pounds quickly.All, or none of the above, could be disease related. I, and my doctors, cannnot confirm or deny them.
I read so much about people who have always led a healthy lifestyle, no smoking, drinking, watching their weight, etc, and still they succomb to CC. So it may be lifestyle, or just pure bad luck. The jury is out on this.
Sylvia xx
35, always had a problem with heartburn, doctor said just bad luck and that I had a better chance of winning the lottery than getting cc
Jtoro….I have been told that it occurs mainly in men who, are in the early sixties. However, on this board we have seen several people in their early thirties, forties, and fifties also. There is an increase of CC, worldwide. Fortunately, in the Western World and Asia this disease is diagnosed whereas in some countries that is not the case. How are you doing? Were you able to enjoy the 4th of July?
Best wishes,
Marion
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