— Overview, Symptoms, Treatments, and Other Resources.
Information on Gallbladder Cancer from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Cancer of the gallbladder is rare. Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat gallbladder cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation or a combination. Read more at Medline Plus, a service of the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
Information on Gallbladder Cancer from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)
Gallbladder cancer is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that lies just under the liver in the upper abdomen. The gallbladder stores bile, a fluid made by the liver to digest fat. More information available from UPMC.
Information on Gallbladder Cancer from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Gallbladder and bile duct cancer are relatively rare. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 9,500 new cases of gallbladder and bile duct cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States. More information available from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Video: Orphan Tumors
Cancers that affect the GI tract such as liver, pancreas, gall bladder and bile duct cancer are often called orphan tumors because they receive little attention. Find out about a new MUSC physician that is dedicated to treating and finding new therapies for these patients. This video is brought to you by the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina.
Video: Gallbladder Cancer
Learn about Gall Bladder cancer symptoms. Watch the video from Livestrong.com's YouTube channel.
Gallbladder Cancer Treatment with Gemcitabine: Recommendation Statement
In appropriate patients with gallbladder cancer or cholangiocarcinoma, surgical resection offers the best chance for survival and should be the first treatment of choice. For patients who are not considered candidates for surgery with curative intent, but who are willing and able to tolerate treatment with chemotherapy, considering the lack of an effective standard treatment option, gemcitabine, either alone or in combination with a fluoropyrimidine such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or capecitabine, is a reasonable alternative to best supportive care, although this conclusion has not been confirmed with a randomized controlled trial. See National Guideline Clearinghouse major recommendations.
Diagnostic Laparoscopy: Recommendation Statement
Diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe and well tolerated procedure that can be performed in an inpatient or outpatient setting under general or occasionally local anesthesia with intravenous sedation in carefully selected patients. Indications: Known or suspected gallbladder cancer without evidence of unresectable or metastatic disease. See National Guideline Clearinghouse major recommendations.
Gallbladder Cancer Clinical Article: Evolving treatment strategies for gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder cancer is an uncommon cancer that has traditionally been associated with a poor prognosis. In the era of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, incidental gallbladder cancer has dramatically increased and now constitutes the major way patients present with gallbladder cancer. Management of patients with gallbladder cancer requires a multidisciplinary approach with input from a surgeon skilled in hepatobiliary surgery. Abstract available through Pubmed.
Gallbladder Cancer Clinical Research Article: Obesity and the risk of gallbladder cancer: a meta-analysis.
Cancer of the gallbladder is a highly fatal malignancy, usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 10%. This meta-analysis confirms the association between excess body weight and risk of gallbladder cancer. Full text available free through the British Journal of Cancer.
Gallbladder Cancer Research Article: Infusion chemotherapy with cisplatinum and fluorouracil in the treatment of locally-advanced and metastatic gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder cancer (GBC) has a poor prognosis. Chemotherapy is traditionally considered to be ineffective. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatinum (CDDP) in patients with inoperable GBC. Full text available free through Pubmed.
Gallbladder Cancer Clinical Article:Gallbladder Cancer: We need to do better!
Gallbladder cancer is associated with a dismal prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of <5% for those patients with disease not amenable to surgery. Surgeons across the world have repeatedly stressed the need for a complete surgical resection and have demonstrated improved survival in patients who underwent radical resection. Full text available free through Pubmed.
Gallbladder Cancer Clinical Research Article: The role of gemcitabine in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer: a systematic review.
In appropriate patients with gallbladder cancer or cholangiocarcinoma, surgery offers the best chance for survival and should remain the first treatment of choice. For patients not considered candidates for surgery, but willing and able to tolerate chemotherapy alone or in combination with a fluoropyrimidine (such as 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine), gemcitabine appears to be a reasonable alternative to best supportive care. Full text available free through Pubmed.
Gallbladder Cancer Research Article: E1A, E1B double-restricted adenovirus for oncolytic gene therapy of gallbladder cancer.
New treatments, such as gene therapy, are necessary for advanced gallbladder cancer (GBC), but little has been studied. Recent studies have introduced mutant adenoviruses (Ads) with either defective E1B-55kD or mutated E1A, focusing on tumor-specific replication, and the results have been promising. Full text available free through Pubmed.
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