Gall ballder is an important part of the body but the most problematic as well. In general surgery the most common surgery that is done is for gall bladder stones wherein the entire gall bladder is removed by the surgeon. When it comes to gall bladder cancer it is one cancer which if diagnosed can be treated effectively but unfortunately it is diagnosed very late when hardly any treatment for gall bladder cancer is possible. In India most of the gall bladder cancer cases are diagnosed after the gall bladder that is removed is sent for biopsy. Due to the location of gall bladder cancer spreads very quickly to common bile duct, liver, stomach and intestine. In most of the cases when our gastro specialist Dr Mayank Chugh see the patient in OPD the gall bladder cancer has already advanced to stage 4. As per gastro and liver specialist Dr Mayank Chugh most of the patients ignore the symptoms of gall bladder stone and even when they are diagnosed with the gall stones they tend to delay the surgery, which is not right.

Causes

The most common reasons for gall bladder cancer are:

Gall bladder stones

Excessive calcium deposits on the wall of gall bladder

Obesity

Choledochal cyst

Polyps or growth in gall bladder

Scarring of Gall bladder

Dr Mayank Chugh Gastro and Liver Specialist in Gurgaon, Haryana says that the reason why it is difficult to differntiate between gall bladder stones and gall bladder cancer is because the symptoms of the gall bladder cancer and gall bladder stones are almost same. Following are the symptoms of gall bladder cancer that should not be ignored:

Abdominal pain in right upper abdomen

Abdominal bloating

Unexplained weight loss

Jaundice

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of the gall bladder cancer is done through the following tests:

Liver Function Test along with Complete Blood Count

Ultrasound of the whole abdomen

CECT Scan of the abdomen

CA 19-9

PET CT Scan of whole body

As such the blood tests give an idea that some thing is not right but CECT of the abdomen is one of the best test to diagnose with clarity. Once it is established that the patient is having cancer of gall bladder, next step is to know the staging which is done in India through a whole body PET CT scan.

Best results for gall bladder cancer treatment are achieved when it is diagnosed at an early stage. Most of the time it is incidental diagnosis that gives an early stage diagnosis. Following are the treatment options available for gall bladder cancer in India:

Surgery- In case gall bladder cancer is diagnosed in early stage then the best option is to go for a laparoscopic or open gall bladder removal surgery. In case the spread is there then the cancer surgeon might opt for removal of gall bladder along with small portion of affected liver and common bile duct.

Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy- As most of the gall bladder cancers are diagnosed at later stage hence the role of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is paramount. Once the cancer has spread then the surgery is virtually out of question. In this case best a gastro and liver specialst can do is to try improve the quality of life by symptomatic treatment.

Cost