GoT actor Ian Gelder dies due to bile duct cancer, here is all you need to know about the condition

Game of Thrones actor Ian Gelder has passed away at 79. The actor was diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct a few months back. Ian was best known for his role as Kevan Lannister in GoT.

Bile duct cancer is a rare cancer that forms in the bile ducts. It is also called cholangiocarcinoma. Let us know more about this rare cancer.

What is bile duct cancer?

Bile ducts are thin tubes that bring bile to the liver and gallbladder to your small intestine. This one is an aggressive cancer, that can spread easily outside the bile ducts. Bile duct cancer is difficult to treat and the chance of recovery is also very poor.

The cancer is rare and is most common in people around age 70.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of this disease occur only after the cancer advances and blocks a bile duct. Some common symptoms are abdominal pain, fever, fatigue, itchy skin, jaundice (skin and whites of eyes turn yellow), dark urine, light-coloured or greasy stools, nausea and vomiting, and unexplained weight loss.

The tumour is not very painful in the early stages but a large tumour can cause pain that may feel concentrated in the right side of your abdomen, underneath your ribs.

Risk factors

Some common risk factors for bile duct cancer are gender, family history, alcohol, environmental and lifestyle factors, liver flukes or changes in biliary structures.

Also watch: Ian Gelder, ‘Game of Thrones’ actor, passes away at 74