Although the month is drawing to a close, we wanted to take some time to help share some information about gallbladder and bile duct cancer, because February is National Gallbladder and Bile Duct Cancer Awareness Month.
Gallbladder and Bile Duct Basics
Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that sits below your liver. It’s about four inches long, and its purpose is to collect and store bile in order to aid in the digestive process. Bile arrives and leaves the gallbladder through thin tube-like vessels known as bile ducts.
Cancer of the gallbladder or bile ducts is relatively rare, but it’s not the only problem that can develop. If your gallbladder becomes inflamed or your bile ducts become blocked, you may need a cholecystectomy to remove the organ or ducts. They are a helpful part of the digestive process, but they aren’t essential. However, since February is cancer awareness month, we’ll focus on the cancer aspect.
An estimated 40,000 people living in the United States were diagnosed with gallbladder or bile duct cancer in 2016. Bile duct cancer is more rare than gallbladder cancer, but cancer of the bile duct can occur both inside or outside of the liver.
Gallbladder and Bile Duct Cancer Symptoms, Risks
We don’t often think about our gallbladder or bile ducts unless we begin to develop pain in the region. However, these areas shouldn’t be ignored until a problem arises, because cancer and other conditions have much higher successful treatment outcomes if they are caught during the early stages. Unfortunately, both of these cancers aren’t symptomatic in the early stages, making them difficult to diagnose at an earlier age. Because of this, knowing the risk factors, taking preventative steps and getting screened is crucial.
Symptoms of gallbladder or bile duct cancer include:
- Yellowing of the skin/eyes
- Abdominal pain
- Fever
- Nausea/Vomiting
- Bloating or abdominal lumps
- Itchy skin
- Appetite loss
As we mentioned above, preventing gallbladder or bile duct cancer involves living a healthy lifestyle, knowing the risk factors and getting screened. Risk factors for cancer development include being over the age of 65, being a woman, having a family history of the gallbladder problems, being overweight, having inflammatory bile disease or diabetes, and heavy alcohol consumption.
Preventing Gallbladder Cancer
Preventing gallbladder cancer comes down to managing the controllable risk factors and being aware of the uncontrollable factors. Try to eat a healthy diet, maintain a healthy weight, and cut back on the unhealthy habits like smoking and alcohol consumption. And although you can’t do anything about your age, gender or family history, being aware of these risk factors will allow you to bring up questions and concerns to your primary care doctor. If you notice any symptoms, don’t ignore them. Set up a consultation with a gallbladder and bile duct surgeon like Dr. Koeplin right away.
