Can gallbladder cancer with liver metastasis be treated?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 22, 2024
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If a gallbladder cancer patient experiences liver metastasis, aggressive treatment can be applied, but it can only be symptomatic treatment and cannot achieve a cure.

Gallbladder cancer is a type of malignancy with a high degree of malignancy, prone to metastasis to other parts, and with very poor treatment outcomes. If liver metastasis occurs, the condition is severe and has reached the middle to late stages. Treatment cannot involve surgical removal at this time. Instead, active management should be employed to improve quality of life and better control the disease, though it cannot be cured. When gallbladder cancer patients experience liver metastasis, symptoms may include pain in the liver area, abnormal liver function, hypoalbuminemia, ascites, and other clinical symptoms. At this time, symptomatic treatment should be actively pursued to better maintain the patient's life and improve quality of life.

Other Voices

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Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
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Can gallbladder cancer be detected by ultrasound?

If there is gallbladder cancer, we can detect it by conducting an ultrasound examination, checking the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen, or simply performing an upper abdominal ultrasound. This is because an ultrasound is typically the first choice for examining the hepato-biliary system. Why? Because it's the most convenient and quickest method. Other examinations such as CT scans or MRI often require a prior appointment, especially MRI, which may need booking days in advance. However, ultrasounds are usually done on the same day and the results are immediate, making it the preferred method for examining the liver and gallbladder. Moreover, ultrasound is quite sensitive for gallbladder cancer. It can reveal if the gallbladder wall is particularly thickened, either locally or extensively, which often suggests the presence of gallbladder cancer, or if there is a large mass of soft tissue in the area of the gallbladder fossa, which might also adhere to the surrounding liver, raising suspicions of gallbladder cancer. Additionally, if there are unusually large polyps, particularly those over 1cm or with a notably wide base, gallbladder cancer should also be considered.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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Gallbladder cancer ultrasonographic appearance

The appearance of gallbladder cancer on color ultrasound depends on the morphology of the cancer, which is mainly divided into five types: small nodular, thick-wall, fragmented, calculous, and mixed type. The small nodular type mainly features a polypoid elevation with a wide base, about 1-1.2 cm in size, and has isoechoic characteristics. The fragmented type is characterized by a wider base and irregular borders, presenting as hypoechoic or isoechoic masses. The calculous type shows an enlarged gallbladder, possibly containing hypoechoic and uneven solid masses that may fill the entire gallbladder. The thick-wall type primarily involves localized or diffuse thickening of the wall. The mixed type is a combination of papillary fragmented type and thick-wall type presence.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can gallbladder cancer be detected by cancer embryonic antigen test?

The use of cancer embryo antigen in patients with gallbladder cancer has certain reference value, but it is not absolute. Patients with gallbladder cancer typically show a significant increase in embryonic antigen. Gallbladder cancer is difficult to diagnose early as it generally does not show specific symptoms. Some patients may experience mild discomfort in the upper right abdomen, but this is often overlooked or misdiagnosed as other diseases, such as chronic gastritis. Therefore, once diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, it is usually already at a middle to late stage. Although the cancer embryo antigen in tumor marker tests of gallbladder cancer patients can be elevated, this is not absolute. Therefore, when discomfort in the upper right abdomen occurs, further comprehensive examinations like color ultrasound, CT, and other related tests are necessary to differentiate it.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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How long does it take for gallstones to develop into gallbladder cancer?

Gallstones do not necessarily develop into gallbladder cancer. For patients with gallstones, they mainly experience discomfort and pain in the upper right abdomen, especially after overeating or drinking alcohol, when the symptoms suddenly appear. Gallstones do not necessarily cause gallbladder cancer. If symptoms occur, surgery should be performed at this time. Only through surgery can a cure for gallbladder cancer be achieved. It is a common malignant tumor of the gallbladder, mainly caused by repeated inflammatory stimuli or genetic factors. At this time, surgery should be performed to better improve the prognosis of the patient. Early stage gallbladder cancer can be completely removed surgically to achieve a cure.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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What's causing the vomiting in gallbladder cancer?

Gallbladder cancer patients, if they experience vomiting, the causes primarily include two aspects. On one hand, vomiting may occur due to obstructive jaundice caused by gallbladder cancer. At this time, the patient may experience abdominal distension and poor digestion, which could lead to nausea and vomiting. For treatment, it is advisable to perform surgery as soon as possible to achieve therapeutic effects and prevention. On the other hand, for gallbladder cancer patients, vomiting should be taken seriously as it could be a sign of metastasis to other parts of the body, such as the gastrointestinal tract or liver. Therefore, for gallbladder cancer patients, it is important to conduct comprehensive examinations to rule out metastasis to other locations. If metastasis occurs, systemic chemotherapy may be necessary to achieve better suppressive effects.