Gallbladder cancer: symptoms, causes, tests and treatment

The NHS says gallbladder cancer may not have any symptoms, or they might be hard to spot. It lists these symptoms: the whites of the eyes or the skin turning yellow (jaundice), which may be less obvious on brown or black skin, with itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo; loss of appetite or losing weight without trying; a high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery; and a lump in the tummy.

Other symptoms affect digestion: feeling or being sick, an aching pain in the right side of the tummy sometimes described as a dragging feeling, sharp tummy pain, and a very swollen tummy that is not related to when you eat.

The NHS says that if you have another condition such as irritable bowel syndrome you may get symptoms like these regularly and get used to them, so it is important to be checked by a GP if your symptoms change, get worse or do not feel normal for you. Many of these symptoms are very common and do not definitely mean cancer, but finding cancer earlier makes it more treatable.

The gallbladder is a small organ under the liver that stores bile, which helps digest fats. Gallbladder cancer starts when cells in the gallbladder grow in an uncontrolled way. The NHS says it may cause no symptoms, or symptoms that are hard to spot, which is why it can be difficult to find early; many of the symptoms overlap with common digestive complaints.

The NHS says that anyone can get gallbladder cancer and it is not always clear what causes it. Many gallbladder cancers are linked to lifestyle, and the NHS says making healthy changes can lower your chances of getting it, although it cannot always be prevented.

Cancer Research UK describes the gallbladder as a small, hollow, pear-shaped pouch about 8cm long that lies underneath the right side of the liver and is connected to the bile ducts. It says gallbladder cancer is rare, with around 1,300 people diagnosed in the UK each year, and more common in women than men. You may hear it called biliary cancer because doctors sometimes group gallbladder and bile duct cancers together. The gallbladder is not an essential organ, so people can digest food without it.

The NHS says treatment depends on the size and type of gallbladder cancer, where it is, whether it has spread and your general health, and may include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The team will explain the treatments, work with you on a plan and help you manage side effects, including diet changes to help you digest your food.

The NHS lists several things that may make gallbladder cancer more likely: being over the age of 75 (it is most common in people over 85); being a woman; having certain medical conditions such as gallstones, growths (polyps) in the gallbladder, porcelain gallbladder, abnormal bile ducts, long-term swelling of the gallbladder or bile ducts, or diabetes; having a brother, sister or parent who had gallbladder cancer; and having Latin American or Asian heritage.

To lower the chance, the NHS suggests trying to lose weight if you are overweight, cutting down on alcohol (avoiding more than 14 units a week) and trying to quit smoking. The NHS stresses that anyone can get gallbladder cancer, even if they do not think they have a higher chance of getting it, so symptoms should always be checked by a GP.

If a GP refers you to a specialist, the NHS says you may have blood tests, scans such as ultrasound (sometimes from inside the body using an endoscope), CT, PET or MRI scans, or a type of X-ray called cholangiography. You may also have a biopsy, where a small sample of cells is taken from the gallbladder to be checked for cancer, a small operation to look inside the tummy (laparoscopy) or a test called ERCP. You may not need all of these tests.

If gallbladder cancer is found, the specialists use the results to work out the size of the cancer and how far it has spread, called the stage, and you may need more tests. The NHS says your team will include a clinical nurse specialist as a main point of contact, and Macmillan Cancer Support has a free helpline open every day from 8am to 8pm.

The NHS says that advanced gallbladder cancer might be very hard to treat and may not be curable. In that case the aim of treatment is to limit the cancer and its symptoms and help you live longer. Finding this out can be very hard news to take in.

You will be referred to a palliative care or symptom control team, who work alongside the cancer team to manage symptoms and help you feel more comfortable. The clinical nurse specialist or palliative care team can also help you and your family find the support you need. You will still have regular check-ups during and after treatment, and the NHS says you do not need to wait for your next appointment if you have symptoms or side effects that worry you.

On the NHS, suspected gallbladder cancer is investigated through an urgent cancer referral to a specialist team, often a hepatobiliary or upper gastrointestinal service, with scans, biopsy and a multidisciplinary meeting to agree treatment. Tests and treatment are free at the point of use.

Some people seek a private opinion for faster access to scans or a second opinion about whether surgery is possible. Specialist surgery for this cancer is concentrated in a small number of centres in both the NHS and private sectors, so it is worth asking any team how often they treat gallbladder cancer and who will coordinate care.