Can gallbladder cancer with liver metastasis be treated?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 22, 2024
00:00
00:00

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.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
47sec home-news-image

How long does it take for gallstones to develop into gallbladder cancer?

Gallstones do not necessarily develop into gallbladder cancer. For patients with gallstones, they mainly experience discomfort and pain in the upper right abdomen, especially after overeating or drinking alcohol, when the symptoms suddenly appear. Gallstones do not necessarily cause gallbladder cancer. If symptoms occur, surgery should be performed at this time. Only through surgery can a cure for gallbladder cancer be achieved. It is a common malignant tumor of the gallbladder, mainly caused by repeated inflammatory stimuli or genetic factors. At this time, surgery should be performed to better improve the prognosis of the patient. Early stage gallbladder cancer can be completely removed surgically to achieve a cure.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
53sec home-news-image

Gallbladder cancer ultrasonographic appearance

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
49sec home-news-image

Which laboratory index is used to observe gallbladder cancer?

Patients with gallbladder cancer may exhibit significantly elevated tumor markers, particularly carcinoembryonic antigen, although this is not absolute. For gallbladder cancer, its diagnosis is mainly based on clinical symptoms, physical examination, and auxiliary examinations. Early-stage gallbladder cancer generally does not have specific manifestations, but in the late stage, there can be significant right abdominal pain, localized tenderness, and rebound pain. At this time, further examinations such as CT and MRI can provide a clear diagnosis. In the blood system, that is, in blood tests, a significant increase in carcinoembryonic antigen may occur. Patients with gallbladder cancer should undergo surgical treatment as soon as possible.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Hu Chen
Imaging Center
41sec home-news-image

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.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
1min 2sec home-news-image

What foods to eat for late-stage gallbladder cancer?

Patients with advanced liver cancer will experience metastasis to other parts of the body, presenting corresponding clinical symptoms that affect the quality of life. Furthermore, patients with advanced liver cancer often exhibit significant weight loss and cachexia, commonly accompanied by hypoalbuminemia. Therefore, for patients with advanced gallbladder cancer, it is advisable to include a diet rich in high-protein foods, which can help replenish the proteins needed by the body, such as albumin, and improve the patient's immunity. It is beneficial to eat fresh vegetables, fruits, as well as lean meats, eggs, and fish, to address these symptoms appropriately. At the same time, for patients with advanced gallbladder cancer, it is important to avoid spicy and irritating foods, as well as foods that are difficult to digest, because these can increase the burden on the gallbladder, exacerbating the condition and impeding treatment. Hence, this should be given careful consideration.