The Gall-bladder is a tiny organ located in the abdomen, and plays a significant role in digestion of food. Like any other part of the body, the gall-bladder too is vulnerable to cancer. Compared to other cancers, Gall-Bladder Cancer is a rare condition. If detected early, it can be treated effectively. However, more often than not, it is detected when it is at an advanced stage. Treatment options include Chemotherapy, Radiation and Surgery.
The gall-bladder is a small, pear-shaped organ that sits below the right lobe of the liver, in the upper-right quadrant of the abdomen. Its function is to store the bile secreted by the liver. The bile is a semi-liquid that helps break down fats in the food consumed by us. The bile stored by the gall-bladder is released into the digestive tract through a series of pipes called bile ducts which together with bile ducts coming from the liver form a biliary tract network. Every time the person consumes a meal, the bile gets emptied out of the gall-bladder, which causes the gall-bladder to shrink (like a deflated balloon). Soon afterwards, the bile starts filling up again in the gall-bladder, and this cycle repeats again and again, every day of our lives.
Cancer in general is caused when there is unwanted mutation in the body’s cells. The DNA in our body cells carry the code that determines the rate at which body cells are destroyed and new cells generated in their place. Unwanted mutations in the DNA can cause rapid multiplication and division of the body-cells leading to unhealthy growths of tissues at that spot. Such growths are called tumours and the overall condition as cancer. This can happen anywhere in the body and when it happens in the gall-bladder, we call that as gall-bladder cancer.
Gall-bladder cancer is generally hard to detect because not every patient shows clear signs and symptoms. Further, the almost hidden position of the organ, compared to other organs in the digestive system, makes it difficult to spot a gall-bladder cancer at quick glance. This is one of the reasons, gall-bladder cancer is generally detected when its already in an advanced stage. Thankfully, the condition is quite rare compared to cancer in other parts of the body.
The most common type of gallbladder cancer, with nearly 90% of all gall-bladder cancers being of this type. In this type, the cancerous growth originates in the gland cells that line the inside of the gall-bladder. Such cells produce mucus and are said to form the mucosal lining.
This again is of 3 types:
This is the next most common type with nearly 5% of all gall-bladder cancers being of this type. Here, the cancer develops in certain types of cells that line the bladder (skin-like cells) as well as the glandular cells of the gall-bladder. Treatment options are very similar to that of adenocarcinomas.
In this type, there are two kinds of cancer cells – squamous and glandular (or mixed histology). Treatment options are very similar to that of adenocarcinomas.
Also called oat cell carcinomas because of their characteristic oat-like shape.
This affects the connective tissues in the gall-bladder. Connective tissues are all those tissues that perform a supporting or protective role, and examples include nerves, muscles and blood-vessels. So, a sarcoma of the gall-bladder implies the cancer has originated in the muscle layers of the gallbladder.
These are rare tumours that develop in the hormone-producing tissues of the digestive system. The most common type is carcinoid neuroendocrine tumour.
These are the rarest types of gall-bladder cancer. They are treated differently compared to the other types of gall-bladder cancer. For example, surgery may not be required, and the condition may respond well to radiation or chemotherapy.
Stages 0 and 1 are relatively easier to treat, while stages 2 through 4 are a little more challenging to treat.
These look for substances in the blood that indicate signs of cancer.
These locate the cancer and look for signs of it spreading.
These allow the doctors to directly access the tissue that contains cancer cells.
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai (Alwarpet & Vadapalani), Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
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