Can gallbladder cancer with liver metastasis be treated?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 22, 2024
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If a gallbladder cancer patient experiences liver metastasis, aggressive treatment can be applied, but it can only be symptomatic treatment and cannot achieve a cure.

Gallbladder cancer is a type of malignancy with a high degree of malignancy, prone to metastasis to other parts, and with very poor treatment outcomes. If liver metastasis occurs, the condition is severe and has reached the middle to late stages. Treatment cannot involve surgical removal at this time. Instead, active management should be employed to improve quality of life and better control the disease, though it cannot be cured. When gallbladder cancer patients experience liver metastasis, symptoms may include pain in the liver area, abnormal liver function, hypoalbuminemia, ascites, and other clinical symptoms. At this time, symptomatic treatment should be actively pursued to better maintain the patient's life and improve quality of life.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Difference between early-stage and mid-stage gallbladder cancer

For gallbladder cancer, its staging is mainly based on the size of the tumor and whether there are metastases to other parts of the body, including lymph node metastases. In early-stage gallbladder cancer patients, the tumor is generally small and there are no metastases to other parts of the body. At this stage, patients typically do not show specific symptoms. Additionally, for patients with mid-stage gallbladder cancer, they may experience discomfort or dull pain in the upper right abdomen, and may also experience weight loss, possibly even developing cachexia. Therefore, gallbladder cancer patients can undergo surgical removal and a pathological examination can provide a better assessment of the pathological stage, leading to a better treatment plan.

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Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
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Can gallbladder cancer be detected by ultrasound?

If there is gallbladder cancer, we can detect it by conducting an ultrasound examination, checking the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, and spleen, or simply performing an upper abdominal ultrasound. This is because an ultrasound is typically the first choice for examining the hepato-biliary system. Why? Because it's the most convenient and quickest method. Other examinations such as CT scans or MRI often require a prior appointment, especially MRI, which may need booking days in advance. However, ultrasounds are usually done on the same day and the results are immediate, making it the preferred method for examining the liver and gallbladder. Moreover, ultrasound is quite sensitive for gallbladder cancer. It can reveal if the gallbladder wall is particularly thickened, either locally or extensively, which often suggests the presence of gallbladder cancer, or if there is a large mass of soft tissue in the area of the gallbladder fossa, which might also adhere to the surrounding liver, raising suspicions of gallbladder cancer. Additionally, if there are unusually large polyps, particularly those over 1cm or with a notably wide base, gallbladder cancer should also be considered.

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Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
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Can gallbladder cancer be detected by ultrasound?

Gallbladder cancer can also be detected by ultrasound, which is the preferred imaging method for diagnosing hepatobiliary diseases. Ultrasound can detect space-occupying lesions in hepatobiliary diseases early on. It is sensitive enough to detect lesions as small as one centimeter, or even a few millimeters. In the case of space-occupying lesions of the gallbladder, particularly gallbladder cancer, there are no particularly obvious signals on ultrasound. Ultrasound of the gallbladder is merely used as a screening tool, not as a definitive diagnostic method. If gallbladder cancer is suspected, further investigations such as MRI or enhanced CT are generally required, but the final diagnosis still relies on pathology.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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Is jaundice a sign of advanced gallbladder cancer?

If a patient with gallbladder cancer exhibits jaundice, it does not necessarily mean the cancer is in its late stages. As the cancer grows, it may compress the bile duct, leading to obstructive jaundice. This can result in lighter-colored stools, darker urine, and yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, and even cause itchy skin. Therefore, it is not necessarily indicative of advanced gallbladder cancer. Of course, if a patient with late-stage gallbladder cancer experiences liver metastasis, this might also manifest as yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes throughout the body. At this point, it is necessary to carry out thorough examinations, common tests including abdominal CT scans and ultrasounds, which can better assess the condition. If metastasis is present, even systemic chemotherapy might be required to achieve a better treatment outcome.

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Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
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What should I do if gallbladder cancer causes itchy skin?

Gallbladder cancer patients may experience skin itching, as they often develop secondary obstructive jaundice. This can lead to lighter stool color, darker urine color, yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes, and generalized itching. For treatment, surgery should be performed for better therapeutic outcomes. Although medications to reduce jaundice can be used for symptomatic treatment, surgery is generally advocated, especially for early-stage gallbladder cancer patients without significant metastasis, where early surgical removal can significantly improve prognosis. Additionally, since malignant tumors are a consumptive disease, it is advisable for patients to consume a diet high in protein, such as eggs, lean meat, and fish, to supplement the proteins needed by the body and enhance the patient's immunity.