It is one of the rare types of cancer. This cancer develops mainly in the gallbladder.
The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ located on the right side of the lower abdomen below the liver and is responsible for storing bile, the liver’s digestive juice.
It can be effectively treated when detected and diagnosed in its earliest stages. As the stage of the cancer advances, the treatment becomes more extensive.
Symptoms
Gallbladder cancer often goes undetected due to the absence of noticeable symptoms; however, most of the time this cancer shows certain symptoms, such as:
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Abdominal pain (especially on the right side)
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itch
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Abdominal distension
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loss of appetite
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Fever
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unwanted weight loss
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Nausea
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Symptoms of jaundice (yellowing of the white eyes and skin)
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It is advisable to seek an expert medical consultation in case any of these symptoms occur.
Causes
The exact cause of cancer development is not yet known. However, mutation in the DNA of the cells of the gallbladder tissue results in an abnormal growth rate and shape. This excessive growth rate of gallbladder cancer cells eventually forms a tumor (mass). If left untreated, this cancer can spread from the gallbladder to other surrounding parts of the body.
Internships
It is classified into several stages, depending mainly on the extent of the spread of the cancer.
The doctor will perform several tests to determine the stage of the cancer, including:
Exploratory surgery: This is done using minimally invasive surgical techniques to see inside the abdomen and look for visible signs of gallbladder cancer.
Bile duct exam: This involves injecting a dye into the bile duct that is useful in advanced imaging tests. This procedure allows the doctor to get a clear picture of the function of the gallbladder and bile duct.
Other imaging tests: Computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen along with magnetic resonance (MRI) tests and ultrasound of the liver may also be recommended with PET (positron emission tomography) scanning.
With these imaging tests, doctors can determine the stage of the cancer by:
Stage 1: The cancer is inside the gallbladder.
Stage 2: Cancer has spread to the outer layers of the gallbladder and even beyond.
Stage 3: Cancer has spread to the surrounding organ (liver, stomach, or small intestine) and also to nearby lymph nodes.
Stage 4: The cancer is widespread with large tumors in multiple nearby organs and other distant parts of the body.
Cancer staging is more important to determine the best appropriate and advanced treatment for the particular case.
Guys
Most gallbladder cancers develop in the glandular cells of the organ and are known as adenocarcinoma.
Diagnosis
It can be easily diagnosed using:
Blood tests – help assess liver function and detect additional signs and symptoms internally.
Imaging tests: Several advanced diagnostic imaging tests are used to determine the existence and spread of cancer, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), ultrasound, and CT (computerized tomography) tests.
Gallbladder Cancer Treatment
The doctor will usually consider the stage of the gallbladder cancer, the age of the patient, and their general health to decide the most appropriate and advanced treatment for gallbladder cancer.
The main goal of any advanced treatment for gallbladder cancer is to remove the cancer or at least stop the progress of the disease through combinations of various cancer treatment techniques.
These are the common and advanced treatments:
Surgery: Surgical removal of the cancer is ideal for the early stages of cancer.
Surgery may require complete removal of the gallbladder affected by the cancer or complete removal of the cancerous gallbladder along with a small portion of the liver.
Chemotherapy: This advanced treatment for gallbladder cancer uses specialized drugs to kill cancer cells in the gallbladder.
Radiation therapy: This advanced treatment for gallbladder cancer uses beams of high-energy particle radiation to kill cancer cells by generating targeted heat.
