Our Approach

Gallbladder and bile duct cancer is a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile (bile is a fluid made by the liver to digest fat), or the bile duct that carries bile from the liver. When food is being broken down in the stomach and intestines, bile is released from the gallbladder through the common bile duct, which connects the gallbladder and liver to the first part of the small intestine.




Some 11,000 new cases of gallbladder and bile duct cancer develop each year in the United States. The experts at Siteman see more of those cases than anyone in the area. Gallbladder cancer is typically found in later stages, so the diagnostic and treatment expertise at Siteman can be critical to management of this disease.

For localized cancer, surgery to remove the gallbladder and surrounding tissue, including lymph nodes, may be used followed by radiation or chemotherapy. For recurrent tumors that cannot be removed or metastasized cancer, surgery may be done to ease symptoms and improve quality of life, as can radiation or chemotherapy.

Types of treatment used for gallbladder and bile duct cancer depend on the type of cancer, its malignancy, the stage at which it is diagnosed, whether the cancer has spread outside the gallbladder, the patient’s age, and overall health.
