Gallbladder Cancer
Everything You Need To Know About Gallbladder Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, by 2021, approximately 11,980 people in the United States will be diagnosed with gallbladder cancer and bold duct cancer. The mortality rate of this type of cancer has been declining in recent decades. However, since the symptoms of gallbladder cancer usually do not appear until the disease progresses, about 80% of gallbladder cancers are not found in the early stages.
The gallbladder forms part of the biliary tract together with the liver and bile ducts. The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ located behind the lower right rib under the liver. It stores bile made from the liver. Gallbladder Cancer treatment Bile is a liquid that helps digest fat in food and can be released into the small intestine through the common bile duct or liver through the common bile duct. Since the liver also has this function, the gallbladder can be removed by surgery without affecting human health.
What causes gallbladder cancer?
Although cancer research has not determined the cause of gallbladder cancer, certain factors may increase a person’s risk of developing the disease. Usually, these factors are related to chronic inflammation of the gallbladder.
Common risk factors include:
- Obesity
- Chemical exposure
- Gallstones
- Porcelain gallbladder with calcium deposits on the gallbladder wall
- Choledochal cyst
- Bile duct abnormalities
- Gallbladder polyps
- Typhoid fever, chronic infection caused by salmonella poisoning
Although the genetic cause of gallbladder cancer is unknown, families with a history of this disease appear to have an increased risk of cancer.
Who has gallbladder cancer?
The incidence of gallbladder cancer in women is twice that of men. This may be related to the increased incidence of gallbladder stones, which are found in more than 75% of patients with gallbladder cancer. Gallstones are very common in middle-aged women, although most patients with gallstones will not develop gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder cancer mainly develops in people over 65 years of age. The average age at diagnosis was 73 years.
Mexican Americans and Native Americans have a higher risk of gallbladder cancer, while African Americans have the lowest risk of gallbladder cancer. Compared with countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America, gallbladder cancer is less common in the United States.
People exposed to industrial chemicals, especially those used in the rubber and textile industries, may also have an increased risk of gallbladder cancer.
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Other type of Cancer
Gallbladder cancer types
Almost all forms of gallbladder cancer are adenocarcinomas, which are cancers that start from adenoid cells in the internal organs of the digestive tract. Gallbladder adenocarcinoma accounts for 90% of diagnoses of gallbladder cancer treatment in India.
Papillary adenocarcinoma is a special subtype of adenocarcinoma that has a better prognosis than other types of gallbladder cancer. Its cancer cells are much less likely to spread to other parts of the body, such as nearby lymph nodes or organs.
In addition to adenocarcinoma, other types of gallbladder cancer include:
- Adenosquamous carcinoma
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Small cell carcinoma
- Sarcoma
Gallbladder cancer symptoms
Possible symptoms of gallbladder cancer include:
Abdominal pain, usually in the upper right abdomen or upper right abdomen
Jaundice, yellow skin or white eyes
Gallbladder enlargement
Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, bloating, severe itching or darkening, tarry
Diagnosing gallbladder cancer
Pathologists use the following tools to diagnose gallbladder cancer:
Laboratory tests, such as liver function tests, to determine the levels of bilirubin, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT, GGT and certain proteins called tumor markers, including CEA and CA 19-9
- CT scan
- Ultrasound
- Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS)
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC)
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Biopsy
Gallbladder cancer treatment
Treatment options for gallbladder cancer include:
- Gallbladder Cancer treatment in India
- Surgery to remove the tumor or relieve symptoms
- Staged laparoscopy to take tumor images
- Simple cholecystectomy to remove the gallbladder
- Expanded cholecystectomy to remove the gallbladder, part of the liver and local lymph nodes
- Radical resection to remove the gallbladder, nearby liver, regional lymph nodes, cystic duct, common bile duct, ligament between liver and intestine, and duodenum
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
A malignant cell growth that starts in the gallbladder is known as gallbladder cancer.
Just below your liver on the right side of your abdomen is your gallbladder, a little, pear-shaped organ. Bile, a digestive fluid produced by your liver, is kept in the gallbladder.
Cancer of the gallbladder is uncommon. The likelihood of a cure is relatively high when gallbladder cancer is found in its earliest stages. However, the majority of gallbladder cancers are found in the late stages, when the prognosis is frequently very dismal.
Because gallbladder cancer frequently exhibits no particular signs or symptoms, it might not be identified until it has progressed. Gallbladder cancer is also more likely to spread undetected due to the gallbladder’s relative secrecy.
A cholecystectomy, a procedure to remove the gallbladder and part of the tissues around it, may be used to treat gallbladder cancer. Potentially removed lymph nodes nearby. Sometimes a laparoscope is used to direct gallbladder surgery. Through a port in the belly, a laparoscope with a video camera attached is inserted. Other ports are used to insert surgical instruments to carry out the procedure. The tissue around the port locations may also be removed since there is a chance that gallbladder cancer cells will migrate to these ports.
The exact etiology of gallbladder cancer is unknown.
Doctors are aware that the development of DNA abnormalities in healthy gallbladder cells leads to the development of gallbladder cancer. The instructions that inform a cell what to do are encoded in its DNA. The modifications instruct the cells to proliferate unchecked and to live longer than other cells would otherwise. The collecting cells create a tumour, which has the potential to move outside of the gallbladder and to other parts of the body.
The glandular cells that line the inner surface of the gallbladder are where the majority of gallbladder cancers start. Adenocarcinoma, which develops in these cells, is the medical term for gallbladder cancer. When cancer cells are inspected under a microscope, they take on this description.
The following factors can raise the risk of gallbladder cancer:
- Your sex. In women, gallbladder cancer is more prevalent.
- Your age. As you become older, your chance of gallbladder cancer rises.
- A history of gallstones. People who now have or have had gallstones are more likely to develop gallbladder cancer. Gallstones that are bigger might be more dangerous. Gallstones are nevertheless fairly common, and gallbladder cancer is extremely uncommon even among those who have this problem.
- Other gallbladder diseases and conditions. Polyps, persistent inflammation, and infection are other gallbladder issues that might raise the risk of gallbladder cancer.
- Inflammation of the bile ducts. The risk of gallbladder cancer is raised by primary sclerosing cholangitis, which results in inflammation of the ducts that discharge bile from the liver and gallbladder.
The following tests and techniques are used to identify gallbladder cancer:
- Blood tests. Your doctor may be able to identify the cause of your signs and symptoms with the aid of blood tests to assess your liver function.
- Procedures to create images of the gallbladder. Ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging are imaging procedures that can provide images of the gallbladder (MRI).
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