Gallbladder Cancer Symptoms

The pear-shaped organ beneath the right lobe of the river is called the gallbladder. Fats in food are digested with the help of a fluid known as bile juice. This fluid is stored and concentrated by the gallbladder. The occurrence of gallbladder cancer is triggered when there is a change and uncontrollable growth of the normal cells in the gallbladder. This uncontrollable growth leads to the formation of a mass called a tumor. A tumor can be non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant).

Primary gallbladder cancer starts affecting the inner layer first and gradually takes over the outer layer as it progresses. Although gallbladder cancer is uncommon, early diagnosis of the disease helps in effective treatment. However, the disorder is not diagnosed easily because the cancer grows without showing any signs or symptoms. That is the reason why most gallbladder cancers go undetected. Nevertheless, the list below describes all possible gallbladder cancer symptoms. Along with the symptoms, gallbladder cancer treatment has also been explained in brief.

Signs and Symptoms of Gallbladder Cancer
Cancer of the gallbladder is hard to detect in the early stage since it is asymptomatic. This means the cancer shows no symptoms of its growth in the body. The symptoms start showing up only in the later stages of this gallbladder disease. So by the time the cancer is diagnosed by doctors, it spreads to other areas of the body.

People suffering gallbladder cancer may experience sharp pain in the right side of the body. More specifically, the pain is felt in the upper right portion of the abdomen. The pain may appear as a dragging feeling to some people. Abdominal bloating is accompanied buy nausea, vomiting, and anorexia (prolonged eating disorder or loss of appetite). Most people who are diagnosed with gallbladder cancer have a constant feeling of being sick and they lose weight involuntarily. Many people also experience a severe itching sensation.

Jaundice is also on one of the severe gallbladder cancer symptoms. You can tell that a person has contracted jaundice by the color of his skin, nails and whites of the eyes; they start to turn yellow in color. Urine will appear dark yellow in color.

People may suffer from condition such as hepatomegaly. This can be described as the enlargement of the liver. In due time, the gallbladder itself increase in size because of the enlargement. Another symptom of gallbladder cancer is lumps in the abdomen, and the person may also suffer from fever.

There is an important thing to be kept in mind about all these gallbladder cancer symptoms. That is, the symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses such as stomach virus. So it is necessary to seek a medical professional's advice at the occurrence of any such symptoms.

Treatments and Drugs for Gallbladder Cancer
Gallbladder cancer treatment depends on the stage of the disease and the health status of the individual. The treatment aims primarily at complete eradication of the gallbladder cancer. However, in a scenario where removal is not possible, various therapies can be inculcated to lessen the spread and growth of the cancer. Doctors have come up with some of new treatments for gallbladder cancer. To treat the cancer, the patient may undergo surgical removal, biliary bypass, endoscopic stent and percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage. Therapies such as radiation therapy, external radiation therapy, internal radiation therapy, chemotherapy are also available. Radiosensitizers are also used in gallbladder cancer treatment.

Prevention of gallbladder cancer faces one critical challenge. The challenge arises from the disease being asymptomatic in nature. As mentioned earlier, gall bladder cancer symptoms do not easily reveal themselves until the cancer has spread in a substantial manner. That is the reason why the cancer becomes severe by the time it is diagnosed. However, following a healthy diet and maintaining a proper bowel, kidney and liver cleansing habit surely helps in keeping the disease at bay. Regular dental cleanup also helps in the prevention. A vegetarian diet has been recommended as the best method for overall prevention of gallbladder cancer. Inculcating healthy habits and leading a healthy life has always proved beneficial in countering any kind of illness or disease.