By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor
Gallbladder cancer is a rare kind of cancer that involves the growth of cancer cells in the tissue of the gallbladder. In the human body, the gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of the belly, just below the liver. It functions as a store for bile, a fluid that the liver makes to digest food.
Most gallbladder cancers begin in the glandular cells that line the inner surface of the gallbladder. Gallbladder cancer that begins in this type of cell is referred to as adenocarcinoma. This term refers to the way the cancer cells appear when looked at under a microscope.
The chance for a cure is high when gallbladder cancer is found earlier, when it is still small. But most gallbladder cancers are mostly found when they have grown beyond the gallbladder, making the chance of survival almost very poor. The very fact that the gallbladder is hidden inside the body makes it easier for this cancer to grow without being detected.
According to healthcare professionals, gallbladder cancer starts when healthy gallbladder cells develop changes in their DNA. Normally, a cell’s DNA holds the instructions that tell the cell what to do. In healthy cells, the DNA gives instructions to grow and multiply at a set rate, then gives instructions telling the cells to die at a set time.
But in cancer cells, the DNA changes give different instructions. The changes tell the cancer cells to make many more cells quickly. Cancer cells can keep living even when healthy cells die, causing the part to have too many cells. The cancer cells might form a mass called a tumour.
The tumour can grow to invade and destroy healthy body tissue. After a while, the cancer cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body. When it spreads, it is called metastatic cancer.
Symptoms
Gallbladder cancer may have no symptoms, which is another reason it goes undetected. When it happens in the body, the symptoms may be similar to those of other common conditions. Some signs and symptoms that may occur include:
– Belly pain, mostly in the upper right part of the belly.
– Belly bloating.
– Lumps in the abdomen.
– Unwarranted loss of weight
– Nausea
– Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, called jaundice. This might be harder to see on a black or brown skin. Jaundice mostly occurs when the gallbladder cancer is very advanced.
Risk factors
Factors that can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer include:
– Female Gender
Gallbladder cancer is much more common in women than it is in men. Experts are of the opinion that it may be related to the hormone estrogen, which increases the risk of gallstones, and females most often have higher levels of estrogen in their bodies than males.
– Advancement in Age
The risk of gallbladder cancer increases as one advances in age. The disease is more common after age 65. However, it can also happen in children.
– Having a History of Gallstones
Gallbladder cancer is most common in people who either have gallstones or have had gallstones in the past. Those with larger gallstones may carry a larger risk. Gallstones are common. But even in people with gallstones, gallbladder cancer is rare.
– Other gallbladder conditions
Patients with other gallbladder conditions, including polyps, infections, and ongoing swelling and irritation known as chronic inflammation, are at a higher risk of gallbladder cancer.
Treatment
While healthcare professionals have not found ways to prevent gallbladder cancer, the early stages of the disease can be treated through the following:
– Surgery:
With this, a healthcare provider called a surgical oncologist may entirely remove a patient’s gallbladder and nearby tissue through a process called cholecystectomy. If it is a simple cholecystectomy, the surgeon will only remove the gallbladder, but if it is an extended cholecystectomy, the surgeon will remove other tissues that have cancer cells, such as affected lymph nodes or part of the liver.
– Radiation therapy:
This treatment uses a machine outside the body to direct radiation to the cancer. The radiation kills the cancer cells or slows tumour growth while minimising damage to healthy cells. Patients may need this treatment even after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. Radiation can also provide symptom relief.
– Chemotherapy:
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from multiplying. Like radiation, chemotherapy may help destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery.
While gallbladder cancer is rare, early detection and treatment are vital for a patient to have a chance at survival. However, even in cases of late detection, it is not a death sentence. Researchers are actively working on cures and other treatment solutions that patients can explore.