Cholangiocarcinoma Associated with Liver Fluke Infection in an Iranian Patient

Biliary liver flukes are common parasites in some regions of the world where consumption of raw fresh-water fish is a cultural practice. Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis species are the major biliary liver flukes associated with human disease. Some of these parasites are highly associated with cholangiocarcinoma. This report describes a clinically and epidemiologically unsuspected liver fluke infection associated with cholangiocarcinoma in a middle aged woman from the south shores of Iran, and emphasizes the importance of efforts to discourage raw freshwater fish intake as the route of infection in high risk populations.