Gall Bladder Cancer

Gall ballder is an important part of the body but the most problematic as well. In general surgery the most common surgery that is done is for gall bladder stones wherein the entire gall bladder is removed by the surgeon. When it comes to gall bladder cancer it is one cancer which if diagnosed can be treated effectively but unfortunately it is diagnosed very late when hardly any treatment for gall bladder cancer is possible. In India most of the gall bladder cancer cases are diagnosed after the gall bladder that is removed is sent for biopsy. Due to the location of gall bladder cancer spreads very quickly to common bile duct, liver, stomach and intestine. In most of the cases when our cancer surgeons at Umeed Hospital, Purnia India see the patient in OPD the gall bladder cancer has already advanced to stage 4.

Causes

 Gall bladder stones

 Excessive calcium deposits on the wall of gall bladder

 Obesity

 Choledochal cyst

 Polyps or growth in gall bladder

 Scarring of Gall bladder

Symptoms & Treatment

The reason why it is difficult to differntiate between gall bladder stones and gall bladder cancer is because the symptoms of the gall bladder cancer and gall bladder stones are almost same. Following are the symptoms of gall bladder cancer that should not be ignored:

Abdominal pain in right upper abdomen

Abdominal bloating

Unexplained weight loss

Jaundice

The diagnosis of gall bladder cancer can be done through liver function tets, CECT abdomen and PET CT Scan. Best results for gall bladder cancer treatment are achieved when it is diagnosed at an early stage. Most of the time it is incidental diagnosis that gives an early stage diagnosis. Following are the treatment options available for gall bladder cancer in India:

Surgery- In case gall bladder cancer is diagnosed in early stage then the best option is to go for a laparoscopic or open gall bladder removal surgery. In case the spread is there intio liver then the cancer surgeon in India might opt for removal of gall bladder along with small portion of affected liver and common bile duct.

Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy- As most of the gall bladder cancers are diagnosed at later stage hence the role of chemotherapy and radiation therapy is paramount. Once the cancer has spread then the surgery is virtually out of question. In this case best a cancer specialst can do is to try and slow down the cancer through chemo and radiation.

Best Doctors and Cost

Dr Piyush Mehta and Dr Majid Wani are the best and extensively trained Cancer Specialist and Surgeon for Gall Bladder Cancer treatment at Umeed Hospital, Purnia India, Punjab. The cost of Gall Bladder Cancer treatment depends upon the stage of the cancer. In early stage gall bladder cancer the treatment could be surgery followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Whereas in case of advanced stage it could be chemotherapy/radiotherapy, which would be more or less palliative in nature i.e. just to improve the quality of life of the patient by treating the symptoms. Hence the exact cost for the cancer treatment cannot be ascretained as it depends upon case to case. If you have an individual health insurance policy then this surgery is covered after a period of 1 month from the date of inception of the policy. However if you are a beneficiary of company given policy then the surgery is covered from day one. Always go through the terms of your health insurance policy like room rent capping and co-payment to avoid any kind of financial shocks later on.