Gallbladder cancer is a malignant tumor (most often of the adenocarcinoma or squamous cell type) that affects the gallbladder.
Causes
The gallbladder is a hollow organ located beneath the lower edge of the liver and serves as a reservoir for bile. Gallbladder cancer most often develops in those who have previously been diagnosed with cholelithiasis.
In addition, the following factors provoke the development of the disease:
- Gender (the disease is more common in women)
- Cholelithiasis or history of typhoid fever
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Age over 70 years
- Cysts of the common bile duct
- Congenital malformations of the pancreatobiliary system.
Diagnosis of Gallbladder Cancer in Israel
The first symptoms that manifest in patients are:
- Pain in the right upper quadrant
- Liver enlargement
- Palpable tumor mass
- Gastric dyspepsia
- Jaundice
- Nausea and vomiting.
At the leading clinic in Israel, Ichilov, a patient will undergo a series of progressive diagnostic procedures to verify the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer:
- Ultrasound of the liver and gallbladder
- Liver function tests
- Test for carcinoembryonic antigen – released into the blood by malignant cells, so an increase in its level in the blood indicates cancerous invasion
- Test for tumor marker CA 19-9
- Doppler ultrasound of the liver and gallbladder vessels
- Computed tomography
- Positron emission tomography
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
- Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography
- Biopsy.
In addition to taking the medical history, detailed consultations with leading specialists in gastroenterology, dietetics, oncology, and abdominal surgery are conducted at the Ichilov clinic.
Treatment of Gallbladder Cancer in Israel
Involves only surgical intervention. In the early stages, it is possible to excise the tumor without the use of chemotherapy and radiation.
This is accomplished using the following methods:
- Removal of the gallbladder during cholecystectomy
- In cases of tumor metastasis, nearby lymph nodes are removed along with the cholecystectomy
- Removal of the gallbladder and part of the liver if the cancerous tumor has invaded liver tissue.
Surgical intervention using the laparoscopic method has several undeniable advantages. First and foremost, it is minimally invasive for the patient. The incisions made by the surgeon are very small, allowing for quick healing and no cosmetic defect in the form of a scar. At the same time, the patient recovers very quickly after such an operation, and the risk of complications from this technique approaches zero.
If the malignant cancer process has spread to nearby organs and tissues, more serious treatment methods are employed:
- Chemotherapy. This involves the individual selection of very strong drugs capable of destroying malignant cells that remain after surgical intervention. At the Ichilov clinic, chemotherapy is conducted in cycles – after taking the drugs for several days, a break of several weeks is observed. The cycle is then repeated several times (the number of cycles depends on the severity of the tumor)
- Radiotherapy. This is conducted for 10-15 minutes 5 days a week for a duration of 2-5 weeks. Its goal is the same as that of chemotherapy – to prevent malignant cells from recurring.