General Information / Anatomy / Function / Statistics

• Gall bladder is a small pouch, size and shape of a pear on the underside of the liver
• It is an appendage of the bile duct which carries the bile from the liver to the intestine where it is required for digestive processes
• Gall bladder normally acts as a storage unit for the bile, concentrates it and ejects it into the duodenum when necessary
• Gall bladder is a non-essential organ and can be removed without significant consequences
• Malignancy is rare--less common than pancreatic cancer
• Occurs in women three times as often as men
• Poor prognosis

Symptoms / Signs

• Generally there are no particular symptoms
• Possible blockage of the bile duct systems, resulting in jaundice
• Chronic gall bladder symptoms
• Pain
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Fever

Etiology / Carcinogens / Risks

• Gall bladder cancer is rare
• 80 to 90% patients with gall bladder cancer have gallstones, but this does not prove gallstones cause cancer
• Either the stones or the irritation, infection or metabolic changes they produce, figure as important factors in the development of this form of cancer
• Should be stressed that the overwhelming majority of people with gallstones never develop this form of cancer
• Gall bladder cancer may be caused by a long history of inflammation

Prevention

• No screening tests are available to detect the cancer at an early stage

Diagnosis / Staging / Grading / Types

• Blood test
• Ultrasonic examinations
• CT scans and other X-rays
• Biopsy
• Final clarification may require surgery

Staging

• Localized resectable: superficial layers
• Localized unresectable: spread to local lymph nodes or adjacent liver tissue
• Advanced: metastasized to distant sites

Types

• Adenocarcinomas
• Sarcoma
• Squamous carcinoma

Treatment

• Surgery: if the cancer is discovered during surgery for gallstones and it has not penetrated the gall bladder wall, over 90% can be successfully treated and enjoy a normal life expectancy
• If the cancer has produced symptoms, only 5% can expect a normal life expectancy
• Surgery may temporarily relieve symptoms, but usually the disease has spread to other structures
• Localized radiotherapy can sometimes be applied to retard the growth or relieve pain
• Chemotherapy is at the investigational stage

Revised May 1999