Digital lesion leading to diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma

Abstract

Cholangiocarcinomas (CCA) are uncommon malignancies that present late and have a poor prognosis. The patients may remain undiagnosed for many years because of non-specific presentation. CCA metastasises commonly to liver and adjacent lymph nodes. It can rarely metastasise to bone, lung, colon, pancreas, adrenal glands and spleen. Multiple treatment options are available including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy. The tumours have high rate of recurrence and most patients require palliative care. Our patient is a middle-aged man who presented with pain in right ring finger, workup of which revealed digital metastasis from underlying cholangiocarcinoma.