Anton Bilchik Outlines the Symptoms of Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer is very rare, with U.S. doctors diagnosing only about 5,000 new cases each year. This type of cancer is difficult to detect because the early stages of gallbladder cancer often do not present any symptoms. Symptoms that do appear often mimic other conditions. Furthermore, the gallbladder sits beneath and behind the liver, in a place that doctors cannot easily feel for the presence of lumps.

Because this type of cancer is so rare and difficult to diagnose, only a handful of cancer doctors have the necessary expertise to treat it. Dr. Anton Bilchik is one of the nation’s leading cancer surgeons; he has participated in extensive research into the surgical treatment for gallbladder cancer.

Symptoms of Gallbladder Cancer

Symptoms, if they do appear, can include:

• Abdominal pain, especially pain in the upper right side of the abdomen 

• Abdominal bloating 

• Itchiness 

• Fever 

• Loss of appetite 

• Unintentional weight loss 

• Nausea 

• Jaundice, or yellowing of the skin and eyes 

A surgeon may discover signs of cancer when he removes a patient’s gallbladder for other reasons. Some physicians make a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms, physical history, laboratory testing, and imaging studies. The chance of surviving gallbladder cancer is significantly greater if a surgeon removes the organ before the cancer has spread. Specially trained cancer surgeons like Anton Bilchik MD can remove the gallbladder before the cancer has a chance to spread to other organs, thus improving the patient’s chances of survival.