Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Gallbladder cancer palliative treatment
Introduction
- Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vamsikrishna Gunnam M.B.B.S [2]
Overview
Overview
Palliative therapy in gallbladder cancer involves percutaneous transhepatic radiologic catheter bypass or endoscopically placed stents, standard external-beam radiation therapy, palliative surgery or standard chemotherapy.
Palliative Treatment
Palliative Treatment
Palliative treatment options may include the following:
Percutaneous transhepatic radiologic catheter bypass
- The preferred approach to biliary obstruction is percutaneous transhepatic radiologic catheter bypass or endoscopically placed stents.[1]
Standard external-beam radiation therapy
- Standard external-beam radiation therapy can, on occasion, alleviate biliary obstruction in some patients and may supplement bypass procedures.
Palliative surgery
- Palliative surgery may relieve bile duct obstruction and is warranted when symptoms produced by biliary blockade (pruritus, hepatic dysfunction, and cholangitis) outweigh other symptoms from the cancer.
Standard chemotherapy
- Standard chemotherapy is usually not effective, though occasional patients may be palliated.[2]
References
References
- ↑ Baron TH (2001). “Expandable metal stents for the treatment of cancerous obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract”. N Engl J Med. 344 (22): 1681–7. doi:10.1056/NEJM200105313442206. PMID 11386268.
- ↑ Hejna M, Pruckmayer M, Raderer M (1998). “The role of chemotherapy and radiation in the management of biliary cancer: a review of the literature”. Eur J Cancer. 34 (7): 977–86. PMID 9849443.