Guide To The Conditions That Affect The Gallbladder

Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer is a malignancy in the tissues that make up the gallbladder. Gallbladder cancer occurs when one of the gallbladder cells incur a DNA mutation that causes it to grow and multiply uncontrollably. This malfunction leads to a growth of these malignant cells that is invasive to the healthy tissues around it and disrupts their normal function. Symptoms of gallbladder cancer include upper right abdominal pain, fever, jaundice, nausea, unintentional weight loss, and abdominal bloating. Diagnosis of gallbladder cancer is made with the use of a physical examination, blood testing, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, and tissue biopsy. Exploratory surgery may be necessary for a physician to determine the extent of the patient's gallbladder cancer. Procedures that involve the injection of dye into the bile ducts like endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography can also help with determining the extent of cancer. Treatment of gallbladder cancer may include a surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder and part of the liver, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and clinical trials.