Little known warning signs of bile duct cancer after death of Game of Thrones star Ian Gelder
Game of Thrones star Ian Gelder has died at the age of 74 after a five-month battle with cancer.
Ian – best known for his role as Kevan Lannister in the mythical series – was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in December.
According to Cancer Research UK, around 2,800 people in England are affected by bile duct cancer every year. In the US, approximately 8,000 people are diagnosed each year.
The number of people diagnosed with bile duct cancer has increased in recent years, with research showing that smoking and alcohol consumption may be to blame.
Game of Thrones star Ian Gelder has died at the age of 74 after battling cancer
The actor’s husband, Ben Daniels, announced the news on Tuesday evening when he expressed his sadness on Instagram
The bile ducts are part of your digestive system and contain a substance of the same name, the fluid that helps digest food by breaking down fat.
They connect the liver, where bile is made, and the gallbladder, where it is stored, to the small intestine.
Although bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma, rarely causes symptoms in the early stages, there are signs to look out for…
Yellowing of the skin
Jaundice is when the skin and whites of your eyes turn yellow. It can also cause your urine to be darker than normal and your bowel movements to be lighter.
It can happen if a tumor blocks the bile duct, stopping the flow of bile to the intestines. As such, it enters your bloodstream and body tissues instead.
The yellowing is caused by the yellow pigments in the bile, Cancer Research UK explains.
Jaundice can also cause a high temperature, making you feel cold and shivery.
Weight loss
You may lose weight if you have bile duct cancer, mostly because it can rob you of your appetite.
But unexplained weight loss is also a symptom of the disease, says Cancer Research UK.
That’s because some people lose weight even when they eat normally.
This is called cachexia, where your body doesn’t absorb all the fat, protein, and carbohydrates from your food and burns calories faster than normal.
Scientists say cancer releases chemicals into the blood that contribute to the loss of fat and muscle.
Doctors define unintentional weight loss as losing more than 10 percent of your body weight. That’s one stone for every 10 stones you weigh or 6kg for every 60kg, the charity explains.
Pain in your abdomen
Abdominal pain is a common warning sign of bile duct cancer.
It can mainly cause pain on the right side, just below the ribs, says Cancer Research UK.
However, pain in this location is not always cancerous. It can also be a sign of a less serious condition, such as gallstones.
Ian was diagnosed with bile duct cancer last December and died on Tuesday afternoon (pictured in 1972 during the filming of New Scotland Yard)
The pair had been together since 1993 after meeting while working together on a production of Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane (pictured in 2022 at the 31st annual Critics’ Circle Theater Awards after-party)
Itchy skin
Another symptom of jaundice is itchy skin.
While itchy skin can be caused by a number of skin problems, it can also be a warning sign of bile duct cancer.
It can happen when the bile ducts become blocked, causing a buildup of bile.
It is this build-up of bile in the bloodstream that can cause itching, explains Cancer Research UK.
What are the causes and risks of bile duct cancer?
There are several risk factors associated with bile duct cancer. This also applies to age, as people over 65 are at greater risk of developing it.
Yet the cancer is still rare, explains Cancer Research UK.
Another risk factor is having choledochal cysts, which are sacs that connect to the bile ducts and fill with bile.
It is also thought that people with bile duct stones may be at increased risk because they can irritate the ducts and cause inflammation.
But eating raw fish could theoretically also put you at a higher risk of developing cancer.
That’s because liver flukes, parasitic worms that invade the bile ducts, increase the risk of bile duct cancer. Bones are typically ingested by eating raw or undercooked fish, health officials say.
Although not usually the cause of bile duct cancer in the UK, the charity explains that liver flukes are a bigger problem in Asia, where bile duct cancer is more common.
However, researchers still have no clear evidence that obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption directly increase the risk of bile duct cancer.