How is gallbladder cancer diagnosed?

Condition analysis:
Your doctor will examine you and refer you for tests to see if you have cancer. This can be a worrying and tiring time, especially if you need to have several tests. If the tests show you have or may have cancer, your doctor will refer you to a specialist, who will examine you and may ask you to have more tests. Your doctor may recommend the following tests.
1. Blood tests:
the doctor will take a blood sample to check your general health and your blood count (the relative numbers of different cells in your blood) and to see how well your kidneys are working.

2. Ultrasound scans:
use sound waves to make pictures of the organs in your body. This simple scan can pick up about half of all gallbladder cancers. Having an ultrasound scan is painless and harmless.

3. Computerised tomography (CT) scan:
a special type of x-ray that gives a three-dimensional (3-D) picture of the organs and other structures (including any tumours) in your body.

4. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP):
can show a narrowing or blockage in the bile duct or pancreatic duct. It helps your doctor to plan surgery to remove the gallbladder. You swallow a long flexible tube with a camera light at the end. This will allow your doctor to see inside your small bowel and take samples of abnormal areas. You'll be sedated during this procedure. You may need to have pain-relieving drugs as well.

5. Biopsy:
this means removing a sample of tissue from the gallbladder and looking at it under a microscope. This can be done either by having a procedure called a laparoscopy or during an ERCP. You may not need to have a biopsy if your doctor is certain from other tests that you have gallbladder cancer. If your gallbladder is inflamed or you have gallstones and your gallbladder is being taken out anyway you won't need to have a biopsy.

Instructions:
Exercise! Staying active can cut your risk of developing gallstones in half.

Lose some weight. Being overweight, even as little as 10 pounds, can double your risk of getting gallstones.

Diet sensibly. If you are overweight, plan on shedding pounds slowly. Losing weight too fast can increase your chances of developing gallstones.

Reduce your saturated fat intake. Too much fat in the diet increases your risk of gallstones. But don't cut back too drastically. You need some fat to give the gallbladder the message to empty bile. If you're trying to lose weight, don't go below 20 percent calories from fat.

Eat a low fat, low-cholesterol, high-fiber diet. Multiple studies show this is your best bet for a healthy body and a healthy gallbladder.