Gallbladder Cancer

Read about Gallbladder Cancer presented in simple easy to understand language

Gallbladder cancer is a type of disease in which cancer or malignant cells will form in the tissues of the gallbladder. This gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that lies just below the liver in the upper abdomen. The function of this is to stores the bile, a fluid made by the liver to digest fat. When food is being broken down in the stomach and intestines, bile is released from the gallbladder through a tube called the common bile duct, which connects the gallbladder and liver to the first part of the small intestine. Females are considered to be at the higher risk of developing this gallbladder cancer.

Risk factors of Gallbladder cancer include the following
• Being female.
• Being Native American.
Signs of Gallbladder cancer include jaundice, pain, and fever.
These and other symptoms may be caused due to Gallbladder cancer.

If you are suffering from the below mentioned symptoms then you must immediately consult your doctor
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).
• Pain above the stomach.
• Fever.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Bloating.
• Lumps in the abdomen.

Gallbladder cancer is difficult to detect and diagnose at the early stage because of the following reasons
• There will not be any noticeable signs or symptoms in the early stages of gallbladder cancer.
• The symptoms of gallbladder cancer resemble the symptoms of many other illnesses.
• The gallbladder is hidden behind the liver.
Gallbladder cancer is sometimes found when the gallbladder is removed for other reasons. Patients with gallstones rarely develop gallbladder cancer.
In case if the Gallbladder cancer is caught early, removal of the gallbladder or part of the bile duct may eliminate all the cancerous cells. In some of the cases, treatment will not cure gallbladder cancer but can help relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.

Treatment for Gallbladder cancer
Surgical removal of the gallbladder is proved to be the best way to revel from this cancer the best hope for people with gallbladder cancer. If this tumor is very small and has not spread to the deeper layers of gallbladder tissue, then the surgeon may perform a simple cholecystectomy, which removes only the gallbladder.

If the cancer is in the more advanced stage, then the surgeon will likely perform an extended cholecystectomy — an operation in which some liver tissue and nearby lymph nodes are removed along with your gallbladder. Some doctors believe that this operation is a better treatment even for people with very small, localized tumors.