Sriram "Sri" Srikant (SHREE-ram "SHREE" SHREE-cant), 33, bile duct cancer, Cambridge, with
Thomas A. Abrams, MD, Institute Physician of Gastrointestinal Cancers, Dana-Farber
· For a few months in early 2022, Shree was experiencing abdominal distress that
progressively worsened. Eventually, he was unable to eat solid foods. He visited his primary care
physician who informed him that it looked like he had a large growth duct on his liver/pancreas
leading to the digestive system. He initially hoped for surgery, but additional scans confirmed
that the cancer was metastatic.
· For treatment, Shree started chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy; since then
he’s almost continuously been receiving immunotherapy and just restarted chemotherapy. Side
effects have been minimal because of Shree’s young age and good health, according to his
doctor, Dr. Abrams.
· As a post-doctoral scientist at MIT, Shree has been able to understand and appreciate
the details of his journey, but it’s also been more difficult to accept what the future may hold.
He also notes that Dr. Abrams treats him as a partner in the process: always helping him to
understand what’s going on. Their goal is not to just keep him alive, but to continue living. Shree
says at times it’s hard for others to understand how he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma
(or bile duct cancer) at such a young age. The average age of diagnosis for the disease is around
70 years old.
· Shree grew up in India and moved to Cambridge to pursue graduate school studies. His
younger brother and parents are now with him as he navigates his treatment.
Bile duct cancer facts
· Bile duct cancer arises from the cells that line the bile ducts, the drainage system for bile
that is produced by the liver. Bile ducts collect this bile, draining it into the gallbladder and
finally into the small intestine where it aids in the digestion process.
· According to the American Cancer Society, bile duct cancer is rare with about 8,000
people in the United States are diagnosed with Bile Duct Cancer each year. This includes both
intrahepatic (inside the liver) and extrahepatic (outside the liver) bile duct cancers.
· Bile duct cancer is more common in Southeast Asia, mostly because a parasitic infection
that can cause bile duct cancer is much more common there.

· Bile duct cancer can occur at young ages, but it is seen mainly in older people. The
average age of people diagnosed in the US with bile duct cancer is about 70.
Thomas A. Abrams, MD
· Thomas A. Abrams, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
and a senior physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. His clinical interests are gastrointestinal
cancers, and he is a board-certified medical oncologist.
· Dr. Abrams received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 2000. He
received his undergraduate degree in biology from Brown University and his medical degree
from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. He
subsequently completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in medical
oncology at University of Michigan Hospital before coming to Dana-Farber in 2006.
· Dr. Abrams is a national leader in patterns-of-care research in gastrointestinal
malignancies. His investigations into colorectal and pancreatic cancer chemotherapy treatment
patterns have shown how factors such as oncologist experience and practice setting impact
treatment decisions made by physicians. He also has a strong interest in telemedicine and its
impact on cancer care delivery.