Potential bile duct cancer treatment uncovered

A potential new treatment for patients suffering from bile duct cancer has been uncovered by a team of researchers.

The team was led by Dr Salvatore Papa from the Leeds Institute of Medical Research and the Faculty of Medicine and Health.

The study into how the drug known as Vesanoid can help to shrink tumours in preclinical models was carried out in collaboration with a research group from Brunel University London.

Because of the asymptomatic nature of the disease, it is difficult to detect, leaving patients with a poor prognosis and very limited treatment options.

In a major new study, which has been published in the journal, Hepatology, the team showed that the drug could shrink tumours by 40% compared to placebo treatment in pre-clinical models of bile duct cancer.