Gallbladder cancer ultrasonographic appearance

Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
Updated on September 02, 2024
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The appearance of gallbladder cancer on color ultrasound depends on the morphology of the cancer, which is mainly divided into five types: small nodular, thick-wall, fragmented, calculous, and mixed type. The small nodular type mainly features a polypoid elevation with a wide base, about 1-1.2 cm in size, and has isoechoic characteristics. The fragmented type is characterized by a wider base and irregular borders, presenting as hypoechoic or isoechoic masses. The calculous type shows an enlarged gallbladder, possibly containing hypoechoic and uneven solid masses that may fill the entire gallbladder. The thick-wall type primarily involves localized or diffuse thickening of the wall. The mixed type is a combination of papillary fragmented type and thick-wall type presence.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Can people with gallbladder cancer eat lamb?

Patients with gallbladder cancer can appropriately eat mutton, as mutton is a food high in protein, which can supplement the albumin needed by the human body and better improve the patient's resistance. However, patients with gallbladder cancer may experience discomfort such as pain in the upper right abdomen and may also encounter digestive symptoms like indigestion and bloating. Therefore, it is recommended for gallbladder cancer patients to consume foods that are easy to digest, which can reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and facilitate recovery. Although mutton can be consumed, it should be eaten in small, frequent meals to prevent complications such as intestinal obstruction. Additionally, for the treatment of gallbladder cancer, surgical removal should be used as early as possible to achieve a cure, with earlier detection and treatment likely leading to a relatively better prognosis.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Is targeted therapy or immunotherapy better for gallbladder cancer?

The treatment of gallbladder cancer cannot be judged as whether targeted therapy or immunotherapy is better, but should be analyzed based on the specific condition of the disease. For early-stage gallbladder cancer patients, if no metastasis has occurred, the best treatment at this time is primarily surgical removal. Early-stage surgical removal can achieve a cure, and regular postoperative ultrasound checks to monitor the disease progression are sufficient. However, if the gallbladder cancer progresses to a late stage, there might be metastasis to other parts of the body, corresponding symptoms appear, and the disease progresses rapidly. The opportunity for surgical treatment may have been missed, and only systemic chemotherapy or other comprehensive treatments are available to alleviate symptoms.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Will CA199 also be high with gallbladder cancer?

Gallbladder cancer CA199 levels are likely to be elevated. In the case of gallbladder cancer, it is a common malignant tumor of the digestive system. When tumor markers are evaluated, an increase in CA199 can be observed. For patients with gallbladder cancer, it is advisable to undergo surgical removal as early as possible to improve prognosis. Generally, early-stage gallbladder cancer patients do not show specific symptoms, and some may only experience upper abdominal bloating and discomfort, which is often overlooked. Therefore, once diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, it is usually at a mid-to-late stage. At this point, treatment can only be symptomatic and not curative, and the treatment outcome is relatively poor. However, active management is still necessary to prevent the worsening of the condition.

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Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
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Can cholecystitis be detected by color ultrasound?

If there is gallbladder cancer, usually an ultrasonography of the liver and gallbladder or the upper abdomen can detect it. Conditions such as gallbladder cancer or liver cancer are often initially discovered and diagnosed through ultrasound. Of course, the final confirmation of diagnosis is usually achieved through pathological examination after surgery. However, in terms of initial diagnosis, it is very common to identify these conditions through ultrasound. Gallbladder cancer typically presents certain characteristic changes, such as obvious thickening of the gallbladder wall, extensive thickening including sclerosis, and significant soft tissue mass growth extending to and adhering to the liver, which are strong indicators of gallbladder cancer. Additionally, a large polyp may be seen inside the gallbladder, and surgical removal at this stage may diagnose early gallbladder cancer.

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Gallbladder cancer B-ultrasound manifestations

Gallbladder cancer can be diagnosed using ultrasound. On ultrasound, this type of gallbladder cancer can generally be divided into three types. One type is the thick-walled gallbladder cancer, which appears as uneven thickening of the gallbladder wall, resembling thick, non-elastic leather. The second type is the mass-forming type, which is relatively easier to diagnose. It appears as a solid mass taking over the entire gallbladder, often invading the nearby liver, and the normal shape of the gallbladder has disappeared. The third type is the intraluminal type, where on ultrasound, you can see the tumor attached to the gallbladder wall, which is relatively wider and larger.