Liver function test: Measures the levels of certain substances released by your liver, which may indicate that your liver has been affected by gallbladder cancer.Blood chemistries: Measures the levels of specific types of substances in your blood, including those that may indicate cancer.Then your provider will perform other tests, including: If your healthcare provider suspects that you might have gallbladder cancer, they’ll examine you and ask about your medical history. It's usually discovered because you have gallstones or need your gallbladder removed. Because it’s often found late, after it has spread to other areas of the body, gallbladder cancer can be deadly.īecause there are rarely signs or symptoms in the early stages and those symptoms resemble other illnesses, gallbladder cancer is often diagnosed late. One study discovered that 43% of gallbladder cancers were diagnosed after the cancer spread to nearby organs or lymph nodes, and 42% were found after the cancer spread to distant organs or lymph nodes. Gallbladder cancer is usually not found until it’s in a later stage. Is gallbladder cancer fatal? What’s the survival rate? Sometimes gallbladder cancer is discovered when a healthcare provider is diagnosing gallstones. Can gallbladder cancer be mistaken for gallstones?īoth gallstones and gallbladder cancer can cause pain in your upper right abdomen, where your gallbladder is located. Does gallbladder cancer hurt?Ībdominal pain can be a symptom of gallbladder cancer. No, gallbladder cancer is not thought to be hereditary. Is gallbladder cancer hereditary (inherited)? If you get gallstones, that doesn’t mean you’ll get gallbladder cancer, but it does increase your risk. Experiencing gallbladder polyps, inflammation and/or infections.Experiencing cysts in your common bile duct.Diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).Exposed to chemicals used in the textile and rubber industries.You’re also more likely if you’re of a certain ethnic group: Women are more likely than men to get gallbladder cancer. Who is most likely to get gallbladder cancer? Each year from 2007 through 2011, around 3,700 individuals in the United States were diagnosed with it, and about 2,000 people died. Stage 4: The cancer has moved to more than three adjacent lymph nodes, nearby vessels and/or to organs that are located far from the gallbladder.Stage 3: The cancer has moved to the liver or to organs near it, or the outer layer (serosal) and possibly to the lymph nodes.Stage 2: The cancer has spread beyond the muscle layer to the connective tissue layer.Stage 1: The cancer has spread up to the muscle layer.Stage 0 (also known as carcinoma in situ): The cancer is confined to the mucosal (inner) layer of the gallbladder.The process is called staging the higher the number, the more the cancer has spread throughout your body. To determine the amount of spreading, your healthcare provider will assign a number (zero through five) to the diagnosis.

One of the biggest concerns about cancer is whether it has spread (metastasized) beyond its original (primary) location. What are the stages of gallbladder cancer? If you have cancer in your liver that started in your gallbladder, it’s called metastatic gallbladder cancer.

Blood: Cancer travels through the blood vessels to other areas.Ĭancers are named after where they began.

Lymph system: Cancer goes through the lymph vessels to other areas.Tissue: Cancer grows into nearby areas.Can gallbladder cancer spread to other areas of your body? It is often found by chance after gallbladder surgery or it’s not discovered until it has progressed to a late stage. Gallbladder cancer begins in the mucosal layer and moves outward. The outside of your gallbladder is made up of four layers of tissue: Gallbladder cancer occurs when malignant (cancer) cells grow in your gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ located under your liver in your upper abdomen.

Chinese pear shaped vessel meaning