The optimal treatment for bile duct cancer is surgery. Unfortunately, by the time symptoms develop, the cancer has usually spread throughout the bile ducts and into the liver, meaning that the tumor cannot be entirely removed.
    Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are occasionally useful to relieve symptoms. Although they have not been shown to be effective in curing the cancer, these measures can be taken to maintain the quality of life.

               Surgery  The decision to take a surgical approach depends on the overall health of the patient and on
               the location of the tumor. If a patient is ill from complications of the cancer—jaundice or infection, for example—a drainage tube (stem) should be placed into the bile ducts to treat the complications. The patient then has to be allowed to recover before an operation is attempted.
    If the tumor is in either the left or the right bile duct and hasn't spread to the lymph nodes , it may be possible to remove the tumor with its accompanying lobe of the liver because people with normal liver function do not need both lobes.
    Tumors involving the junction of the right and left bile ducts (Klatskin tumor) create more problems. The tumor may not have spread, but its removal requires rebuilding the bile ducts. This can be done by removing all of the tumor and attaching a loop of intestine to the liver where the cut end of the bile ducts are draining (called a Roux-en-Y). This is a difficult operation and the overall health of the patient is an important factor in deciding whether to perform it.