These tests can show blockages in the bile ducts. This is followed by an imaging test that records where the dye goes. Your doctor may recommend procedures to inject dye into the bile ducts. The camera allows the surgeon to examine organs surrounding your gallbladder for signs that the cancer has spread. In a procedure called laparoscopy, the surgeon makes a small incision in your abdomen and inserts a tiny camera. Your doctor may recommend surgery to look inside your abdomen for signs that gallbladder cancer has spread. Tests and procedures used to stage gallbladder cancer include:Įxploratory surgery.

Your gallbladder cancer's stage helps determine your prognosis and your treatment options. Once your doctor diagnoses your gallbladder cancer, he or she works to find the extent (stage) of your cancer. Primary sclerosing cholangitis, which causes inflammation of the ducts that drain bile from the gallbladder and liver, increases the risk of gallbladder cancer.Determining the extent of gallbladder cancer Other gallbladder conditions that can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer include polyps, chronic inflammation and infection. Other gallbladder diseases and conditions.Still, gallstones are very common and even in people with this condition, gallbladder cancer is very rare. Larger gallstones may carry a larger risk. Gallbladder cancer is most common in people who have gallstones or have had gallstones in the past. Your risk of gallbladder cancer increases as you age. Gallbladder cancer is more common in women. Risk factorsįactors that can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer include: This term refers to the way the cancer cells appear when examined under a microscope. Gallbladder cancer that begins in this type of cell is called adenocarcinoma. Most gallbladder cancer begins in the glandular cells that line the inner surface of the gallbladder. The accumulating cells form a tumor that can grow beyond the gallbladder and spread to other areas of the body. The changes tell the cells to grow out of control and to continue living when other cells would normally die. A cell's DNA contains the instructions that tell a cell what to do. It's not clear what causes gallbladder cancer.ĭoctors know that gallbladder cancer forms when healthy gallbladder cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. It's then carried to the upper part of the small intestine, called the duodenum, to help break down fat in food. When you eat, the gallbladder releases bile into the bile duct. Bile flows from the liver into the gallbladder, where it's held until needed during the digestion of food. The gallbladder serves as a reservoir for a yellow-green fluid produced in the liver, called bile.

The one minute cure gallbladder