Gallbladder Cancer Archive Questions

Below are Dr. Hanna’s answers to Gallbladder Cancer questions
received through the Ask the Expert feature.

This content is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended
to be a substitute for individual medical advice in diagnosing or treating a
health problem. Please consult with your physician about your specific health
care concerns.



Now displaying records 1 to 8 of 8.

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Q : 1 01/10/2008	When a gall bladder is removed, does the liver still produce bile? If so, what happens to it? Does its removal cause any problems for the liver later on? Yes, liver will continue to produce bile. There should be no problem for the liver.
Q : 2 08/14/2006	My mom has gallbladder cancer with spread to the liver. We decided not go for chemo. (She is 70 years old). Do we have other options other than pain management? Chemotherapy would have been the cornerstone of treatment. Alternative options include radiation or the best supportive care.
Q : 3 06/03/2006	My uncle has been diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, showing mass in upper abdomen with multiple peritoneum deposits that has also spread to the adjoining liver tissues. He has already under gone 6 sessions of chemotherapy with Oxaliplatin in combination with Avastin. As a postive sign his CEA count has come down from 140 to 7.5. Kindly guide us what would be the best treatment option (surgery or medication) to follow at this stage. While surgery is the best treatmnet modality, it is not an option at this stage because of the peritoneal deposits. Continuing chemotherapy is the best option, especially if he is responding
Q : 4 06/02/2006	My husband was diagnosed with a 1/4 in. carcinoid in the ileum. No symptoms of it producing hormones, believed to be benign. As a preliminary test before surgery to remove the carcinoid, he had a CT scan, which showed tumors in his gallbladder. The doctor doesn’t know if they are cancerous or not; plans to take it out at the time he removes the growth in his intestine. My husband has had no symptoms of gallbladder problems. He’s 53, white male. What other test at this time should be done to see if these tumors are malignant or benign. If malignant, what is the procedure. Generally, what do you recommend? Carcinoid tumors are malignant by definition. Their biological behaviour and metastatic potential is dependent on size. The best treatment is surgical resection of all disease sites. The surgeon needs to be aggressive in removing all possible disease sites.
Q : 5 05/11/2006	Is gallbladder cancer a slow growing cancer? If it recurs, how soon? How easy is it to treat? The answer to your questions all relate to biology of the tumor and the stage of the cancer at diagnosis. Advanced gallbladder cancer tends to recur quickly after surgery and treatment often includes chemotherapy and radiation.
Q : 6 10/20/2005	What is the normal life-expectancy for a person who has been diagnosed with gallbladder cancer after a routine gallbladder surgery. The liver was said to contain chirrosis although this person in a non-drinker with diabetes treated with medicine. Prognosis and life expectancy is variable and dependent on stage of cancer, pre-existing medical conditions and treatment given, if any. Generally, advanced gall bladder cancer survival is around 6-12 months.
Q : 7 09/26/2005	Is there treatment for gallbladder cancer that is in stage 4b? It is unresectable? Generally treatments include chemotherapy or experimental protocols.
Q : 8 09/01/2005	Can intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) be effective on a patient who has inoperable gallbladder cancer and is now developing peritoneal disease? My friend is now ready for aggressive treatment. If the patient's disease has progressed despite aggressive chemotherapy, it is very unlikely IPHC will be of any help at this point. The best option is an experimental protocol.

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