Gallbladder Cancer

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Living With
• Related Issues

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

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• Patient Handouts

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

Start Here

• Gallbladder Cancer Overview (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• General Information about Gallbladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• What Is Gallbladder Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Abdominal Ultrasound (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• CEA (Carcinoembryonic Antigen) Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• 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
• Liver Panel (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• 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

Treatments and Therapies

• Chemotherapy for Gallbladder Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Gallbladder Cancer: Surgery (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Option Overview (Gallbladder Cancer) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Options for Gallbladder Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Lifestyle Changes After Having Gallbladder Cancer (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)
• What Are the Risk Factors for Gallbladder Cancer? (American Cancer Society) 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
• What's New in Gallbladder Cancer Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Gallbladder Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Prognostic factors in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer treated...
• Article: Subtypes of Native American ancestry and leading causes of death:...
• Article: Prospective multicenter phase II study of gemcitabine plus cisplatin in...
• 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
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Organizations That Offer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What to Know about Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish