What is gallbladder cancer?
Gallbladder cancer (gallbladder carcinoma) is a malignant tumor of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is an outpouching of the bile duct in which bile produced by the adjacent liver is temporarily stored and thickened.
What are the symptoms of gallbladder cancer?
Similar to tumors of the bile ducts, gallbladder cancer rarely causes early symptoms. Only when the tumor has grown considerably does it lead to symptoms. Those affected then often notice a yellowing of the skin (jaundice, icterus). This is a sign that the bile no longer drains into the intestine, but instead accumulates in the liver.
Other possible symptoms of gallbladder carcinoma include:
- Pain in the upper abdomen
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- nausea, vomiting
- Itching
What is the life expectancy for gallbladder cancer?
Gallbladder cancer is a very serious disease because it usually does not cause early symptoms. Affected people therefore usually notice that something is wrong only at a late stage. The disease is often well advanced by this time. In addition, gallbladder cancer tends to rapidly form metastases in other organs, for example in the liver.
The prognosis is sometimes better for patients in whom the doctor discovers the tumor by chance during a routine examination, i.e. before the tumor has caused any symptoms. Then there is a chance that the disease is not yet far advanced and the tumor can still be completely removed by surgery.
Causes and risk factors
Other risk factors for developing gallbladder cancer include.
- benign gallbladder polyps that are over one centimeter in size (they have an increased risk of degeneration)
- primary sclerosing cholangitis, an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts
- chronic infections (for example, salmonella persistent excretors have an increased risk of gallbladder cancer after contracting salmonella)
- malformations of the bile ducts
- Obesity
Examination and diagnosis
He then draws blood, which is examined for changes in liver and bile levels. In addition, imaging procedures such as an ultrasound examination of the abdomen or X-ray examinations with contrast medium are used to visualize the gallbladder and bile ducts.
Therapy
If the doctor detects gallbladder cancer early, it may be sufficient to surgically remove only the gallbladder. In these rare cases, it is possible to cure the cancer by complete removal of the tumor.
In many cases, however, surgery is no longer possible, and doctors opt for palliative therapy. “Palliative” means that the cancer can no longer be cured, but that the course of the disease can be delayed through appropriate measures, the symptoms can be alleviated and the quality of life can be improved.
