Do I Have GBC? Laparoscopic Gallbladder Cancer Surgeon Explains

Gallbladder cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the gallbladder. It causes no specific signs or symptoms and, therefore, remains undiagnosed until it reaches an advanced stage. 

The disease can be effectively cured if discovered early on, says Dr. Purnendu Bhowmik, a laparoscopic gallbladder cancer surgeon in Kolkata.

Hence, it is essential to be aware of the following symptoms. If your gallbladder cancer shows signs early on, you can identify it and visit a doctor to get diagnosed as soon as possible.

Gallbladder Cancer Symptoms 

• Your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow (jaundice)
• You may have itchy skin, darker pee, and paler stool than usual
• You lose appetite or lose weight without trying
• You have a high temperature, or you feel hot or shivery
• You have a lump in your stomach
• Feeling sick
• Pain in the right side of your tummy
• Feeling bloated

Suppose you have another condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome. In that case, you may experience some of these symptoms regularly.

You might grow accustomed to them. However, consult a doctor if your symptoms change, worsen, or do not feel normal, says the laparoscopic gallbladder cancer surgeon in Kolkata.

Gallbladder Cancer Treatment

Gallbladder cancer can usually be treated, but it can be difficult if found in the later stages.

Your treatment will be determined by the following factors:

• the severity of your gallbladder cancer and the type of cancer you have
• its location, whether it has spread and how far it has spread, and your overall health

Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are all options for treatment.

If gallbladder cancer is detected early, it can be treated with gallbladder cancer surgery in Kolkata.

A laparoscopy will be performed before any other surgery if gallbladder cancer is suspected. This is done to see if cancer has spread to the point where curative surgery is no longer an option.

During laparoscopy, the surgeon can check for cancerous areas that imaging tests may have missed. If the cancer is resectable (able to be removed by surgery), laparoscopy can also aid in planning the surgical procedure.

A gallbladder cancer surgeon in Kolkata often performs an extended cholecystectomy after determining the operation plan. The surgery’s scope is determined by the location of cancer and how far it has spread. 

An extended cholecystectomy, at the very least, removes:

• The gallbladder 
• About an inch or more of liver tissue near the gallbladder
• All of the lymph nodes in the surrounding area

Unresectable cancers are less likely to be treated with surgery, but there are some cases where it may be beneficial. 

In the case of unresectable cancers, the goal is to treat the health problems caused by cancer rather than cancer itself.