My mother was diagnosed wiht Klatskin
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Adrianna,
Your mom is going to need you and your sisters to be her advocates and to do that you will need information. Where is she being treated?
Calling the tumor a Klatskin tumor refers to the location, here is a good article that explains bile duct cancer and what a Klatskin tumor is:
And here is an article with a good diagram (Fig. 1, click on it to enlarge), see where it says “hilar CC” which stands for “hilar cholangiocarcinoma” which is just another term for a Klatskin tumor:
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/98/12/873.full#ref-18
Patty
Hi Adrianna and welcome to our wonderful family! The good news is that it has not gone to the liver but the better news will be when your Mother goes to the Oncologist and a game plan is set in place. Yes, this Cancer is very scary and in order to be the best advocate you can be you need to research and learn what this cancer entails. I would pick key words like Klatskin, Bile Duct Cancer etc and google the words. I would also look over some of our older posts by using the Search engine at the top of the page, as Gavin stated. Mother should not go alone to the doctor and whomever goes with her should take notes. As Lisa said, you will want an Oncologist who has other CC patients. You might search on the web, for an Oncologist in your mother’s city. Again make sure they have treated this before. Or, perhaps the doctor who did the Endoscopy can help in recommending someone. I don’t want to over whelm you more these are just some suggestions that may help you get started. Please feel free to ask questions and know that you are not alone, we are all here and we all care.
Adrianna, we have found that the best results are found by those who find doctors with experience in dealing with cholangiocarcinoma. With your mother, it may be that she is a candidate for liver resection, which offers a possible cure. It may be possible to shrink the tumors with radiation and chemo, then attempt a liver resection. I don’t know the specifics of your case, but I do wish you and your mother the best possible outcome. I am also a single parent of three college aged students, so I kind of guess what your family is going through. Best wishes and prayers, Lisa
Thank you so much for your kind word and support! We were told that the tumors we found underneath the Y part in the bile ducts. They told us that the liver was not affect and that it was type 2 Klatskin tumors. ( although i do not understand what that means). They also told me that she would be a good candidate for surgery. We go tomorrow to meet with the same doctor who preformed her endoscope test last week to figure out exactly what is next. We found out she had this because she was diagnosed with jaundice. She is very healthy and never had a fever or pains, just a little discomfort.
Thanks again for the support, as i know i will need it!
Adrianna
Hi Adrianna,
Welcome to the site. Sorry that you had to join us all and I am am sorry to hear about your mum. But I am glad that you have joined us here as you will get a load of support and help from us all. I can’t help you specifically with your question regarding doctors in the US that specialise in treating Klatskins in the US as I am in Scotland, but I just wanted to welcome you here. And I am sure that others will be along soon that can help you with this. In the meantime, we have a search function here at the top of the page that may be of help to you with this issue and indeed ofr other issues as well.
I know that right now all of this must seem so unreal, having to deal with your mums diagnosis and take in so much information at the same time, especially so as you are so young. But please do not give up hope and try and stay and positive as you can. We will do all that we can to help, so please if you have any questions then do not hesitate to ask them and we will all help if we can.
Also, can you give us some more information such as where your mum was diagnosed, what were the treatment plans that were offered and have you had a second or third opinion as to your mums diagnosis?
My best wishes to you and your mum,
Gavin
Hello all,
My name is Adrianna and i am 21 years old and am currently a senior is Iowa State University. Just about a week about my mother was told that she had Klatskin tumors. I am the youngest of three girls who are all raised by only my mother! I am trying to do all i can to stay strong for her however i do not know too much about all of this. First and foremost, i am trying to find a good doctor who specializes in Klatskin tumors!
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