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.
National Cancer Institute
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Gallbladder Cancer (PDQ): Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/gallbladder/patient/
Also available in Spanish http://www.cancer.gov/espanol/pdq/tratamiento/vesiculabiliar/patient/
- Gallbladder Cancer(American Society of Clinical Oncology) - http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Gallbladder+Cancer
- Gallbladder Cancer(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/gallbladder-cancer/DS00425/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
- What Is Gallbladder Cancer?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_is_gall_bladder_cancer_68.asp?sitearea=
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ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography)(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ercp/
- How Is Gallbladder Cancer Diagnosed?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_3x_how_is_gall_bladder_cancer_diagnosed_68.asp?sitearea=cri
- How Is Gallbladder Cancer Staged?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_gall_bladder_cancer_staged_68.asp?rnav=cri
- Chemotherapy for Gallbladder Cancer(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Chemotherapy_68.asp?rnav=cri
- Radiation Therapy for Gallbladder Cancer(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Radiation_Therapy_68.asp?rnav=cri
- Surgery for Gallbladder Cancer(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_4X_Surgery_68.asp?rnav=cri
- Can Gallbladder Cancer Be Prevented?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_2x_can_gall_bladder_cancer_be_prevented_68.asp?sitearea=cri
- What Are the Risk Factors for Gallbladder Cancer?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_gall_bladder_cancer_68.asp?rnav=cri
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gallbladder Neoplasms(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Gallbladder+Neoplasms%22
- What's New in Gallbladder Cancer Research and Treatment?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_6X_Whats_new_in_gall_bladder_cancer_research_and_treatment_68.asp?rnav=cri
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Surgery for gallbladder cancer: a population-based analysis. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18722943&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Analysis of enhancement pattern of flat gallbladder wall thickening on... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18716107&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Carcinoma of extrahepatic bile ducts and gallbladder metastatic to the... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18580314&tool=MedlinePlus
- Gallbladder Cancer -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=gallbladder+neoplasms[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+2+Years&tool=MedlinePlus
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Dictionary of Cancer Terms(National Cancer Institute) - http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary/
- American Cancer Society - http://www.cancer.org/
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National Cancer Institute - http://www.cancer.gov/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases - http://www.niddk.nih.gov/
- What Are the Key Statistics about Gallbladder Cancer?(American Cancer Society) - http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_gall_bladder_cancer_68.asp?sitearea=
- Cancers - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancers.html
- Digestive System - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/digestivesystem.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Gallbladder Cancer is the National Cancer Institute - http://www.nci.nih.gov/