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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
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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References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Date last updated: 14 July 2008 Topic last reviewed: 14 July 2008 |