Gallbladder cancer is a rare disease that starts in the cells of the inner layer of the gallbladder, a small organ that located under the liver on the right side of the body. For a brief video overview of the cancer, click here.
Gallbladder and bile duct cancer are often linked together due to their proximity to one another. For more information about bile duct cancer, click here.
About this Cancer
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) lists gallbladder cancer statistics with “other cancers” in its yearly updates. In 2018, 435 Canadians were diagnosed with gallbladder cancer, and in 2020, 294 Canadians died from the disease. Gallbladder cancer numbers were not tracked by CCS in their 2023 update.
The most common symptom of gallbladder cancer is abdominal pain that doesn’t go away. Other signs and symptoms include:
- nausea and vomiting
- not able to tolerate fatty foods
- loss of appetite
- fever and chills
If you have any of these conditions, you may be at a higher risk for gallbladder cancer:
- Gallstones
- Chronic inflammation
- Choledochal cysts
- Abnormalities of the pancreaticobiliary duct junction
- Bacterial infection
- Porcelain gallbladder
- Obesity
- Polyps
The information for this page was provided by the Canadian Cancer Society. For other sources of information, see below:
For the most up-to-date information on treatment, please find some resources below.
For the latest in treatment options, please take a look at the following information:
Stories from Survivors
There are currently no gallbladder cancer stories.
Resources
No resources currently exist for this cancer. If you run a support group or offer aid to gallbladder cancer patients, please connect with us at info@survivornet.ca