Altered bile composition in the gallbladder and common bile duct of patients with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal junction.

The high incidence of biliary tract carcinoma in patients with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal junction (APBDJ) has been well documented. Elevation of the secondary and free bile acid (FBA) concentrations is considered a risk factor for biliary carcinogenesis in these patients. Bile from the gallbladder and common bile duct in 12 patients with APBDJ was analyzed and compared with gallbladder bile from 19 patients with gastric cancer and a normal hepatobiliary tract. The concentrations of secondary bile acids were significantly lower in the APBDJ group than in the control group, and FBA concentrations were not detected in the gallbladder in either group. The lysolecithin (LL) in the phospholipid, which is produced from lecithin by activated phospholipase A(2) in refluxing pancreatic juice, was significantly elevated in the APBDJ group. Elevation of the LL concentration in the bile is one of the factors for the development of biliary tract carcinoma in patients with APBDJ.