Gall Bladder Cancer - Treatment & Symptom
Gall bladder cancer, also called carcinoma of the gall bladder, is extremely rare affecting only 7,100 people in the United States per year. Cancer of the gallbladder, an uncommon cancer, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the tissues of the gallbladder.The gall bladder is a small pouch that stores and concentrates bile. A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease such as cancer. These diseases are often discussed together and are co-mingled in therapeutic trials. Gallbladder cancer seldom produces symptoms in the early stages.However, this leads to significant confusion. Because it is so uncommon and because its symptoms mirror those of far more common ailments, cancer of the gall bladder is usually not found until it is at an advanced stage and cannot be surgically removed. In fact, early gallbladder cancer is often only discovered when the gallbladder is removed as a treatment for gallstones. Otherwise, gallbladder cancer is often quite advanced by the time it's diagnosed.
It is a non-essential organ and can be removed without significant consequences. Any inflammation of the bile system is called "cholangitis", while specific inflammation of the gallbladder only is called "cholescystitis". Gallbladder cancer arises in the setting of chronic inflammation. Gallbladder cancer is 7 to 10 times more common in women compared to men and its incidence increases with aging. In fact, early gallbladder cancer is often only discovered when the gallbladder is removed as a treatment for gallstones. The gall bladder is connected to the small intestine and the liver by the bile ducts. When gallbladder cancer is caught early, removing your gallbladder or part of the bile duct may eliminate all the cancerous cells. In the vast majority of patients (>75%), the source of this chronic inflammation is gallstones. Otherwise, gallbladder cancer is often quite advanced by the time it's diagnosed.
Causes of Gall Bladder Cancer
The comman causes of Gall Bladder Cancer include the following:
- Gallstones are the most common risk factor for gallbladder cancer.
- Occupational chemical exposure.
- Anomalous pancreatobiliary duct junction.
- Gall bladder cancer is also slightly more common in people who are born with (congenital) abnormalities of the bile ducts.
- People who have a condition called porcelain gall bladder, in which calcium forms in the wall of the gall bladder.
- It also is more common in people who have had clusters of material in their gallbladder (gallstones).
- Physical abnormalities of the gallbladder and ducts such as choledochal cysts or polyps of the gallbladder.
Symptoms of Gall Bladder Cancer
Some symptoms related to Gall Bladder Cancer are as follows:
- Unremitting right upper half abdomen pain
- Weight loss and anemia.
- Liver and spleen enlargement.
- Palpable mass in the right upper quadrant (Courvoisier sign, if this is due to a palpable gallbladder).
- Jaundice: It is a condition that gives a yellowish color to the skin, the white part of the eyes, and tissues of the body.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Palpable hard mass in right upper abdomen.
- Left supraclavicular adenopathy (Virchow node).
- Pain in the upper back (called referred pain).
Treatment of Gall Bladder Cancer
Here is list of the methods for treating Gall Bladder Cancer:
- Surgical removal (resection) of the gallbladder usually offers the best hope for people with gallbladder cancer.
- Radiation therapy: using high-dose X-rays to kill cancer cells.
- Combined Modality Therapy (CMT).
- Patients who do not qualify as surgical candidates should be evaluated for medical treatment with chemotherapy.
- Surgery is a common treatment for cancer of the gallbladder if it has not spread to surrounding tissues.
- Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage: A procedure done to drain bile when there is a blockage and endoscopic stent placement is not possible.
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