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Carcinoma of the gallbladder
Gallbladder carcinoma develops from the gallbladder and behaves in a manner similar to that of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma of the gallbladder.
Causes
The appearance of gallbladder carcinoma is often associated with the presence of certain diseases such as:
- porcelain gallbladder
- adenoma of the gallbladder
- bile duct cysts
- anomalies of the biliopancreatic junction.
Symptoms
As with primary liver tumours, gallbladder cancer only shows symptoms in the advanced phase.
Generally the patient reports:
- pain in the abdomen
- nausea or vomiting
- jaundice
- weight loss
- lack of appetite
- elevated temperature (fever)
- itchiness
- swelling localized to the gall bladder
Diagnosis
The first step in the examination of the presence of gallbladder carcinoma is performed by the doctor who will assess the presence of symptoms, palpate the gallbladder, and verify whether or not there are any cases of gallbladder cancer in the family.
Specific blood tests in which the levels of tumour markers are measured must be conducted.
In order to obtain a complete clinical picture, diagnostic imaging of the patient must be conducted such as for example: abdominal ultrasound, CT, magnetic resonance, PET.
In some cases a biopsy is also required.
Treatment
The treatment of choice is surgery, when possible, which may be more or less extensive (liver, biliary tract) depending on the stage, and possibly subsequent chemotherapy. In the case of non-operable tumours there are multiple therapeutic choices. Gallbladder carcinoma requires surgical treatment, which is carried out to achieve complete removal of the tumour.