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Summary
Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver. It stores bile, a fluid made by your liver to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, your gallbladder releases bile through a tube called the common bile duct. The duct connects your gallbladder and liver to your small intestine.
Cancer of the gallbladder is rare. It is more common in women and Native Americans. Symptoms include
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
- Pain above the stomach
- Fever
- Nausea and vomiting
- Bloating
- Lumps in the abdomen
It is hard to diagnose gallbladder cancer in its early stages. Sometimes doctors find it when they remove the gallbladder for another reason. But people with gallstones rarely have gallbladder cancer. Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat gallbladder cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
Diagnosis and Tests
- Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
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ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)
(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
- How Is Gallbladder Cancer Diagnosed? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Liver Function Tests
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
- Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
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Stages of Gallbladder Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Can Gallbladder Cancer Be Prevented? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
- Risk Factors for Gallbladder Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Gallbladder Cancer: Surgery (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Treatment Option Overview (Gallbladder Cancer)
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Treatment Options for Gallbladder Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Living With
- Living as a Gallbladder Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
- Palliative Therapy for Gallbladder Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Gallbladder Polyps: Can They Be Cancerous? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
- Gallbladder Cancer Incidence and Death Rates (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- What Are the Key Statistics about Gallbladder Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Gallbladder Neoplasms
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Is the tumor-stroma ratio a prognostic factor in gallbladder cancer?
- Article: Identification of invasion-metastasis associated MiRNAs in gallbladder cancer by bioinformatics and...
- Article: Descriptive analysis of incidental and operable gallbladder carcinoma cases: a UK...
- Gallbladder Cancer -- see more articles
Reference Desk
-
Dictionary of Cancer Terms
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
-
National Cancer Institute
Also in Spanish
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
-
Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish