Second opinions and liver disease centres

Importance of referral

Cholangiocarcinoma is a very serious illness and is relatively rare.  It is essential that patients are referred to knowledgeable specialists so that they can be properly assessed and offered the right treatment and care for their particular situation.

For initial diagnosis: If you and your GP agree that you need to be referred to a specialist, you can choose to go to any named specialist in the country, but your doctor will need to write a letter of referral.

For a second opinion: Patients who have received a diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer), may wish to seek a second opinion to ensure their diagnosis is correct and for reassurance that the treatments suggested are the best options for them.   A GP or consultant will need to write a letter of referral to a named consultant of choice.  Read More

Ideally, cholangiocarcinoma patients should be cared for by a multidisciplinary team specialising in diseases of the hepatobiliary system, ie, the liver and bile ducts, working together on one site with access to the full range of diagnostic investigations and treatment options.  The team should include:

  • Hepatologists (specialists in liver medicine)
  • Liver surgeons
  • Oncologists (specialists in cancer medicine)

Centres offering treatment for liver diseases

The following list of centres in the UK and Ireland are those that offer investigation and treatment services for liver diseases, including hepatobiliary services.

IMPORTANT PLEASE READ:
The centres listed here offer investigation and treatment services for liver diseases, including hepatobiliary services.  They do not necessarily specialise in cholangiocarcinoma. 

Please ensure that any consultant you request to be referred to at any of the centres listed is experienced in cholangiocarcinoma.

This list is not exhaustive and will be added to as more information becomes available.

Please note, details are offered for information only. AMMF does not recommend any particular centre.

Useful web search terms: cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct cancer, biliary tract cancer, upper gastrointestinal cancer, hepatology, hepatobiliary cancer, liver cancer, primary liver cancer


King’s College Hospital, London
Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS
www.kch.nhs.uk

Referral information can be found here:  https://www.kch.nhs.uk/service/a-z/hepatobiliary-pancreatic


Royal Free Hospital, London
Sheila Sherlock Liver Centre, Pond Street, Hampstead, London, NW3 2QG
https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/

Specialising in treatment for malignant and benign disease of the pancreas, liver and biliary system and care of acute HPB and hepatology conditions.

For more information on liver services at the Royal Free, (and a referral information button on this page) go to: https://www.royalfree.nhs.uk/services/services-a-z/liver-services/


University College Hospital, London
Hepato Pancreato Bilary Cancers HPB
UCLH contact Centre, Ground floor central, 250 Euston Road, London NW1 2PG
http://www.uclh.nhs.uk/

Please note:  All HPB and hepatology clinical and academic services were recently transferred from University College London Hospital London to the Royal Free Hampstead. UCLH retains its medical pancreato-biliary service and surgical outpatients service.

Referral information can be found here:
https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-service/cancer-services/hepato-pancreato-biliary-cancers


St Mary’s Hospital, London
Praed Street, London W2 1NY
https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-locations/st-marys-hospital

The main liver unit of Imperial College Healthcare is based at St Mary’s Hospital, with weekly clinics also located at Charing Cross, Hammersmith and St Charles hospitals, see: https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-services/liver-services/clinics

Referral information can be found here:
https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/our-services/liver-services


Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne
Freeman Road, High Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne  NE7 7DN
www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/

Referral information can be found here (Hepato-pancreato-biliary team): https://www.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/services/hepato-pancreato-biliary-surgery/


Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool
Longmoor Lane, Liverpool  L9 7AL
http://www.aintreehospitals.nhs.uk

For further information on Aintree Hospital’s liver services, go to: http://www.aintreehospitals.nhs.uk/our-services/a-z-of-services/liver-surgery/


Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham
Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham  B15 2GW
http://www.uhb.nhs.uk

For further information on Birmingham’s hepatobiliary services, go to (the GP button in the navigation bar gives referral information): https://archive.uhb.nhs.uk/liver-unit.htm


St James’ University Hospital, Leeds
Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF
www.leedsth.nhs.uk

For information on the HPB services at Leeds, go to: http://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/a-z-of-services/hpb-and-transplant-services/


The Manchester Royal Infirmary
Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9WL
Tel: +44 (0)161 276 1234
Fax: +44 (0)161 273 6211

The Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary (HPB) Unit at the Manchester Royal Infirmary works closely with the other acute hospital trusts in the Greater Manchester area – including the specialist cancer centre, The Christie (http://www.christie.nhs.uk/).

For more information, see: https://mft.nhs.uk/mri/services/hepato-pancreato-biliary-hpb-unit/


University Hospital, Southampton
Tremona Road, Southampton, Hampshire  SO16 6YD
http://www.uhs.nhs.uk

For more information, go to: https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/departments/gastroenterology

And: https://www.uhs.nhs.uk/OurServices/Hepatology/Hepatology.aspx


University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff
Heath Park, Cardiff  CF14 4XW
http://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk

For more information on Cardiff’s liver services, go to:  http://www.cardiffandvaleuhb.wales.nhs.uk/liver-surgery


Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
51 Little France Crescent, Old Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh, EH16 4SA
www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Information on Edinburgh’s hepatobiliary services can be found here (for referral details, click ‘contact us’ button on that page):   http://www.ed.ac.uk/surgery/clinical-specialties/hepato-biliary-pancreatic/services


Belfast City Hospital, Belfast
Lisburn Rd, Belfast  BT9 7AB

For information on hepatobiliary services, go to: http://belfasttrust-cancerservices.hscni.net/LiverPancreasBileDuct.htm


St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin
Elm Park, Dublin 4
http://www.stvincents.ie

The liver team at St Vincent’s is a multi-disciplinary one with expertise in liver disease and liver surgery, including transplantation.

For more information, see: https://www.stvincents.ie/departments/hepatopancreaticobiliary-hpb-group/


Specialist Cancer Centres

The Christie, Manchester
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 4BX
http://www.christie.nhs.uk/

Referral information: http://www.christie.nhs.uk/professionals/information-for-gps/nhs-referrals/


The Royal Marsden Hospital, Chelsea and Surrey
Chelsea: Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ
Surrey: Downs Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5PT
https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/

For more information, go to: https://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/your-care/cancer-types/gastrointestinal/upper-gastrointestinal


The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Liverpool
Wirral
:  Clatterbridge Road, Bebington, Wirral  CH63 4JY
Aintree Liverpool:  Lower Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool L9 7AL
www.clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk

For referral information, go to: http://www.clatterbridgecc.nhs.uk/professionals/clinical-referral


The Beatson Cancer Centre, Glasgow
1053 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G12 0YN
http://www.beatson.scot.nhs.uk/

(Lead centre for the delivery of non-surgical cancer care for the West of Scotland)

For more information on Upper GI cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) go to: https://www.nhsggc.scot/


For more information on seeking a referral or a second opinion, click here

International patients – for information on receiving treatment in the UK, click here

March 2023