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Gall Bladder Cancer Symptoms

Cancer of the gallbladder occurs when irregular cells form in the tissue of the gallbladder. It is an extremely rare disease that is difficult to diagnose in its early stage.

  1. Function

    • The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ located directly under the liver in the upper part of the abdomen. It stores and releases bile, a fluid that digests fat when the stomach and intestines break down food.

    Early Signs

    • Unfortunately, early stages of cancer in the gallbladder are typically asymptomatic, causing no recognizable signs. Usually, by the time you experience any symptoms, the cancer has already spread to other organs in the body.

    Symptoms

    • Advanced gallbladder cancer can cause sharp pain in the upper right abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever and itchiness. Other, less common symptoms are abdominal bloating, loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.

    Jaundice

    • The most prominent sign of advanced gallbladder cancer is jaundice, a condition where the build up of bile salts causes the skin and whites of the eyes to appear yellow.

    Detection

    • There are no tests that detect early gallbladder cancer. Diagnosis generally occurs inadvertently when treating other illnesses or after the tumor has progressed enough to cause symptoms.

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