Bile Duct Cancer Market - Size, Share, Industry Trends, and Forecasts (2024 - 2031)

By Type:

The market is segmented based on type into Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma, and Distal Cholangiocarcinoma.

Trends in the Type:

• People around the age of 70-75 are more prone to developing intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.
• Recent statistics show that high mortality rates due to intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are higher in males than in females.

Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma accounted for the largest revenue share of 38.42% in 2023.

• Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) occurs outside the liver and affects a larger proportion of patients leading to more diagnosis of this type of cholangiocarcinoma.
• The higher detection rates due to better diagnostic technologies such as CT scans, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), etc. are leading to more frequent treatments.
• EHCC treatments are expensive and have complex surgical procedures such as bile duct resection. They also have non-surgical processes such as chemotherapy.
• Thus, as per bile duct cancer market analysis, EHCC screening and curative treatments are costly, leading to its greater revenue generation.

Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma is expected to have the fastest-growing CAGR during the forecasted period.

• Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) has a higher prevalence than EHCC since this type of cancer occurs within the liver.
• The enhancement of imaging techniques, liquid biopsies, molecular diagnostics, etc leads to better diagnosis, allowing for timely and effective treatment.
• The expansion of precision medicine has led to the development of new targeted drugs for iCCA treatments resulting in high recovery rates.
• Immunotherapies have led to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors such as PD-1 that have shown clinical potential for effective iCCA treatment.
• Therefore, as per analysis, the rising awareness and better treatment for iCCA will lead to bile duct cancer market growth.

By Product Type:

The market is segmented based on product type into Gemcitabine, Cisplatin, Oxaliplatin, Capecitabine, and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

Trends in the Product Type:

• FDA approvals for targeted therapy drugs such as futibatinib (Lytgobi), ivosidenib (Tibsovo), etc. are surging.
• Patients receiving adjuvant treatment for cholangiocarcinoma have increased exponentially raising the survival rates.

Cisplatin accounted for the largest revenue of the total bile duct cancer market share in 2023.

• Cisplatin is a platinum-based chemo drug that is often combined with gemcitabine for treating advanced cholangiocarcinoma. The integration enhances its potential to control the progression of cancerous cells.
• It is comparatively less expensive and, hence, affordable to other variants such as oxaliplatin, for targeted drug therapies.
• Cholangiocarcinoma has a high recurrence rate, and when surgeries cease to be effective, cisplatin-based chemotherapy becomes the only viable option for prolonged treatment.
• Cisplatin has a high clinical efficacy for first-line treatment in improving patient treatment outcomes.
• For instance, an article published on NEJM Evidence, highlights how patients diagnosed with advanced cholangiocarcinoma have minimal prognosis, making the gemcitabine-based cisplatin imperative as the primary care method. The TOPAZ-1 trial evaluated durvalumab plus chemotherapy for patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma.
• Thus, as per analysis, the insurgence of bile duct cancer has made cisplatin the largest revenue-generating segment in the market.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is expected to have the fastest-growing CAGR during the forecasted period.

• 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is often integrated with oxaliplatin to treat cholangiocarcinoma. The advancements made in clinical trials for sustained-release formulations are increasing the effectiveness of 5-FU.
• 5-FU is extensively used in post-surgery and pre-surgery settings for generating more positive outcomes.
• The improvements made in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are enhancing the therapeutic potential of 5-FU in the reduction of side effects from targeted drugs.
• For instance, APEX Bio Technology LLC, a premier biotechnology company, offers 5-FU under Adrucil, as an anti-cancer agent.
• Therefore, as per analysis, as the treatment dynamics of cholangiocarcinoma are experiencing expansion 5-FU will boost the bile duct cancer market opportunities.

By Treatment:

The market is segmented based on treatment into Chemotherapy (Gemcitabine-Based Chemotherapy and Cisplatin-Based Chemotherapy), Radiation Therapy, Surgery (Liver Transplant and Bile Duct Resection), Targeted Therapy (FGFR Inhibitors and IDH1 Inhibitors), Immunotherapy (PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitors and CTLA-4 Inhibitors), and others.

Trends in the Treatment:

• Recently there has been a rise in systematic treatment (chemotherapy, targeted therapy) to treat cholangiocarcinoma and address its recurrence rates.
• As a modern trend, Clinical trials for developing precision medicine for immunotherapies are offering better patient outcomes.

Chemotherapy (Gemcitabine-Based) accounted for the largest revenue share in 2023.

• There is a limited prognostic solution for metastatic cholangiocarcinoma as surgeries cease to be effective during the later stages. Gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is the standard and first-line treatment for the advanced stage of cholangiocarcinoma.
• Gemcitabine is often combined with cisplatin to increase its efficiency levels. This results in enhanced recovery and survival rates in patients.
• Even with the emergence of immunotherapies, the adoption and implementation remain slow, making chemotherapy the cost-effective option for treating cholangiocarcinoma.
• For instance, an article published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) discusses how the Hepatic arterial infusion pump (HAIP) Chemo has a high survival rate. HAIP combined with floxuridine offers patients with advanced intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) long-duration to live post-treatment.
• Thus, with the ongoing R&D for enhancing cholangiocarcinoma treatments, gemcitabine-based chemotherapy contributes to bile duct cancer market demand.

Targeted Therapy (FGFR Inhibitors) is expected to have the fastest-growing CAGR in the bile duct cancer market during the forecasted period.

• Targeted therapy, particularly fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitors, offers precision medicine approaches to cure genetic mutations causing cholangiocarcinoma.
• This approach such as FGFR2 gene fusions affects healthy as well as cancerous cells increasing the efficiency of combating cholangiocarcinoma in patients with specific genetic conditions.
• Compared to chemotherapy or surgeries, targeted therapy has shown potential for progression-free survival rates in cholangiocarcinoma patients.
• For instance, a researcher from the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, had developed a new FGFR inhibitor tinengotinib through clinical trials. It uniquely combines FGFR2. This targeted therapy offers patients to have high survival rates while simultaneously curbing the progression of the cancerous cells.
• Therefore, as the FDA approvals for FGFR inhibitors grow, they are primed to boost the bile duct cancer market trends.

By Diagnosis:

The market is segmented based on diagnosis into Imaging Tests (Ultrasound, CT Scan, and MRI), Biopsy, Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and Blood Tests.

Trends in the Diagnosis:

• Recently, blood tests have proven itself effective in detecting the progression of cholangiocarcinoma.
• Novel imaging tests such as Positron emission tomography (PET) scans have recently raised the likelihood of detecting concealed metastatic cholangiocarcinoma.

CT Scan accounted for the largest revenue of the total bile duct cancer market share in 2023.

• CT scans offer accurate imaging of bile ducts (cholecysts), the liver, and other organs. This is instrumental in detecting the exact location of the tumor, its size, and its spread.
• CT scans are helpful in the early detection of cholangiocarcinoma as there are no symptoms during the nascent stages.
• CT scans allow oncologists to assess and evaluate the course of treatment. For example, it lets them decide whether the tumor is resectable or the cancerous cells have spread to surrounding organs.
• CT scans offer routine checkups and monitoring post-surgery to check the recurrence rates. Continuous monitoring can raise the overall positive outcome ratio.
• For instance, the detection of preoperative recurrence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is accurately detected using the CT scan method through the deep-learning (DL) algorithms, in a study published in an online journal ‘Scientific Reports'.
• Therefore, CT scans are expensive, which paired with their frequent use contributes to a larger revenue generation market.

Genetic Testing is expected to have the fastest-growing CAGR during the forecasted period.

• The rise in leveraging precision medicine in treating cholangiocarcinoma by focusing on genetic mutations benefits from genetic testing.
• The high demand for targeted therapies results in a high demand for genetic testing to identify the molecular markers specific to individual patients.
• The advancements made in genetic testing, such as liquid biopsy or next-generation sequencing (NGS) have driven up the accuracy rates of genetic testing. This has also made it affordable to detect genetic mutations for cancer in patients.
• Genetic testing can be integrated with immunotherapies to make identification of genetic markers more susceptible.
• For instance, an article published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) discusses the viability and effectiveness of utilizing pathogenic samples, to reliably identify biliary tract cancer by genetic analysis.

By End-User:

The market is segmented based on end-users into Hospitals, Cancer Research Institutes, Specialty Clinics, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), and others.

Trends in the End-User:

• Recently, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have been offering minimally invasive surgical outpatient care for localized cholangiocarcinoma cases.
• In a recent trend, hospitals have raised the average 2-year survival rate of cholangiocarcinoma patients.

Hospitals accounted for the largest revenue share in 2023.

• Hospitals provide integrated diagnosis which includes CT scans, genetic testing, biopsies, etc. This increases the efficacy of detecting cholangiocarcinoma at an early stage.
• They have multidisciplinary teams and high-tech infrastructure for conducting complex surgeries such as liver transplants or bile duct resection.
• Hospitals often provide radiation therapy or chemotherapy as the primary treatment for metastatic cholangiocarcinoma.
• For instance, the Mayo Clinic is a leading hospital in the US that provides effective cholangiocarcinoma treatment. Their multidisciplinary team offers targeted and comprehensive care to individual patients.
• Thus, the hospital's effective infrastructure for treating cholangiocarcinoma makes treatment expensive, leading to larger revenue generation.

Cancer Research Institutes is expected to have the fastest-growing CAGR during the forecasted period.

• Cancer research institutes are gaining traction among patients as they are at the forefront of research and development for targeted therapy cures for cholangiocarcinoma.
• The rarity of detecting cholangiocarcinoma and the low survival rates have raised awareness among pharmaceutical firms, governments, and private companies to invest in cancer research institutes.
• The cancer research institutes are instrumental in developing biomarker-based therapies through advancements made in genomic research and NGS.
• Cancer research institutes are enhancing novel diagnostic tools such as molecular assays, liquid biopsies, etc. for managing cholangiocarcinoma.
• For instance, OSHU Knight Cancer Institute (America) is a pioneering cancer research institute that offers innovative diagnostics and treatment options for bile duct cancer. Their team of oncologists, surgeons, etc. offers advanced tests, Hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) therapy, molecular profiling, Palliative care, etc.
• Thus, as more awareness of cholangiocarcinoma grows, cancer research institutes will drive the market in the future.

Regional Analysis:

The regions covered are North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America.

In 2023, North America accounted for the highest market share at 36.21% and was valued at USD 1,359.50 Million, and is expected to reach USD 2,284.88 Million in 2031. In North America, the U.S. accounted for the highest market stake of 71.14% during the base year of 2023. In North America, especially in the US and Canada, there is a well-structured healthcare sector. This has resulted in new advancements in cancer research and the development of new treatments for cholangiocarcinoma. The government also readily invests in research and development (r&d) for working on new targeted therapies, immunotherapies, integration treatment, etc. This has resulted in high early detection rates and high-tech medical care available, supporting the bile duct cancer market expansion.

• In 2022 an article was published by the National Cancer Institute discussing the FDA-approved Durvalumab (Imfinzi), an immunotherapy drug, that raises survival rates for bile duct cancer. The TOPAZ-1 when added to combined chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin has increased the duration a cholangiocarcinoma-diagnosed patient might live after beginning the treatment.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR over the forecast period of 8.2% during 2024-2031. As per the bile duct cancer market analysis, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, especially Southeast Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, etc. have a high prevalence of liver fluke infections, hepatitis B and C infections, chronic liver disease, etc. These raise the risk factor of developing cholangiocarcinoma. The reasons behind this development might be traced back to their lifestyle such as consumption of raw or undercooked seafood.

• In February 2024, the Public Health Minister of Thailand revealed that the nation has the highest rates for bile duct cancer in the Southeast Asian region. The main risk factor influencing the high cholangiocarcinoma rates was identified as liver fluke infections.

Europe has the highest aging demographic concentration, especially in Germany, Italy, France, etc. The chances of developing intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) are greatest among the age group of 70-75, thus there is a high-risk factor of developing cholangiocarcinoma here. It contributes to the bile duct cancer market expansion in the region. The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, especially Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc experiences increased exposure to toxins as well as industrial pollutants. It is due to agricultural and industrial chemicals mixing with water, exacerbating the conditions of developing chronic conditions and this cancer. Latin America, especially in the metropolitan areas of Mexico, Brazil, etc, has seen a growth in public awareness of cancer treatments, including cholangiocarcinoma. This has led to the demand for more health monitoring raising the chances of early detection of this cancer.