Gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer can be difficult to diagnose in their early stages as they don’t usually cause symptoms. Sometimes, cancer is found when the gallbladder is removed or examined for another reason, such as gallstones. But most people who have surgery for gallstones do not have gallbladder cancer.
If there are symptoms, they may include:
- abdominal pain, often on the upper right side
- nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting
- jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), causing dark urine (wee), pale bowel movements (poo)
- general weakness or fatigue
- a lump in the abdomen
- unexplained weight loss
- a constant itch
- fever.
Learn more about rare cancers like gallbladder and bile duct cancer at Rare Cancers Australia.
→ READ MORE: Gallbladder and bile duct diagnosis
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Dr Corina Behrenbruch, Colorectal Surgeon, St Vincent’s Hospital Fitzroy, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and The University of Melbourne, VIC; Dr Prasad Cooray, Medical Oncologist and Clinical Lecturer – The University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, Austin Health, VIC; Prof Jacob George, The University of Sydney and Head, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Westmead Hospital and Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW; Dr Andrew Oar, Radiation Oncologist, Icon Cancer Centre, Gold Coast University Hospital, QLD; Chris Rivett, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Nicole Williams, HepatoPancreatoBiliary (HPB) Nurse Consultant, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network, SA.
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