Is gallbladder cancer prone to spreading?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 08, 2024
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Gallbladder cancer is a type of cancer that is prone to spreading and is of a higher malignancy level. It is difficult to detect in the early stages. Patients with gallbladder cancer may initially present with subtle right upper abdominal pain, which is often overlooked. Therefore, once diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, it generally has reached the mid to late stages. At this time, the patient's pain becomes significant, which is the primary reason for seeking medical attention. Gallbladder cancer progresses rapidly and is prone to metastasize to other locations, such as the liver, leading to liver dysfunction, jaundice, ascites, hypoalbuminemia, and more. Additionally, for gallbladder cancer, the treatment strategy emphasizes early surgical removal to achieve better therapeutic outcomes.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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MRI manifestations of gallbladder cancer

The manifestations of gallbladder cancer on MRI primarily include significant thickening of the gallbladder wall or a mass within the gallbladder. Generally, it appears as low signal on T1-weighted images and high signal on T2-weighted images. After enhancement, the lesion shows obvious enhancement. If the lesion is large, necrosis may occur internally. Since the gallbladder is close to the liver, if abnormal signals are found in the liver, intrahepatic metastasis should be considered, which further confirms the possibility of gallbladder cancer. Additionally, gallbladder cancer can also invade the nearby bile ducts, causing dilation of the bile ducts, as well as local or distant lymph node metastasis.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can gallbladder cancer be detected through blood tests?

Blood tests generally cannot detect gallbladder cancer because there are no specific markers in the blood tests for gallbladder cancer. Although some tumor markers may be significantly elevated, they are not specific. Therefore, diagnosis of gallbladder cancer can be refined through abdominal CT, color ultrasound, and if necessary, puncture tissue for pathological examination to confirm the nature. Once diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, surgery should be performed as soon as possible because gallbladder cancer is a highly malignant, rapidly developing, and poor prognosis malignancy. It is important to pay attention to it and handle it promptly to improve the prognosis and potentially extend the patient’s life.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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What foods to eat for late-stage gallbladder cancer?

Patients with advanced liver cancer will experience metastasis to other parts of the body, presenting corresponding clinical symptoms that affect the quality of life. Furthermore, patients with advanced liver cancer often exhibit significant weight loss and cachexia, commonly accompanied by hypoalbuminemia. Therefore, for patients with advanced gallbladder cancer, it is advisable to include a diet rich in high-protein foods, which can help replenish the proteins needed by the body, such as albumin, and improve the patient's immunity. It is beneficial to eat fresh vegetables, fruits, as well as lean meats, eggs, and fish, to address these symptoms appropriately. At the same time, for patients with advanced gallbladder cancer, it is important to avoid spicy and irritating foods, as well as foods that are difficult to digest, because these can increase the burden on the gallbladder, exacerbating the condition and impeding treatment. Hence, this should be given careful consideration.

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Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
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Gallbladder cancer B-ultrasound manifestations

Gallbladder cancer can be diagnosed using ultrasound. On ultrasound, this type of gallbladder cancer can generally be divided into three types. One type is the thick-walled gallbladder cancer, which appears as uneven thickening of the gallbladder wall, resembling thick, non-elastic leather. The second type is the mass-forming type, which is relatively easier to diagnose. It appears as a solid mass taking over the entire gallbladder, often invading the nearby liver, and the normal shape of the gallbladder has disappeared. The third type is the intraluminal type, where on ultrasound, you can see the tumor attached to the gallbladder wall, which is relatively wider and larger.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Will CA199 also be high with gallbladder cancer?

Gallbladder cancer CA199 levels are likely to be elevated. In the case of gallbladder cancer, it is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system. When tumor markers are evaluated, an increase in CA199 can be observed. For patients with gallbladder cancer, it is advisable to undergo surgical removal as early as possible to improve prognosis. Generally, early-stage gallbladder cancer patients do not show specific symptoms, and some may only experience upper abdominal bloating and discomfort, which is often overlooked. Therefore, once diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, it is usually at a mid-to-late stage. At this point, treatment can only be symptomatic and not curative, and the treatment outcome is relatively poor. However, active management is still necessary to prevent the worsening of the condition.