A general surgeon yesterday drew attention to gallbladder cancer, which, despite being less common than other cancers, has a relatively high mortality rate due to its often asymptomatic nature.
Citing statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, National Cheng Kung University Hospital’s Division of General Surgery director Chou Tsung-ching (周宗慶) said that in 2007, gallbladder cancer killed approximately 1,000 Taiwanese and was the 12th-most common cause of cancer-related deaths.
“Over the past year, the hospital diagnosed a total of only 10 patients with gallbladder cancer, which shows that this type of cancer is less prevalent, but extremely malignant,” Chou said.
Chou said the cancer is most common among females aged between 50 and 70, and is almost asymptomatic in the early stages, with primary risk factors including gallstones larger than 3cm.
Since symptoms such as jaundice, abnormal weight loss and pain often do not appear until the terminal stage, it is almost impossible for sufferers to detect and treat the illness early, Chou said.
Only a handful of such cancer cases were discovered at an early stage, Chou said, citing a 51-year-old woman who was diagnosed with the cancer after a health checkup caught a 3cm malignant gallbladder polyp last month.
“A previous health examination had found polyps and stones in her gallbladder, but the patient did not seek further monitoring. Fortunately, the malignant tumor was caught early and has not metastasized to her liver or regional lymph nodes. She is now in recovery,” Chou said.
Despite advances in medical technology, Chou said surgical removal of gallbladder tumors remains the only approach to treat the cancer.
“However, if the cancer has already reached terminal stages, it is much more complicated to remove the tumor and a patient is more susceptible to complications and poor postoperative outcomes,” Chou said, urging people in the high-risk group to regularly check their gallbladder or undergo a preventive cholecystectomy.
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