Gallbladder Cancer
Mount Sinai surgeons have extensive experience in treating gallbladder cancer with the expertise to provide the type of careful assessment and customized treatment plan you need. Our surgeons collaborate on your treatment with a team of specialists to map out the best treatment plan for your condition. For example, if your gallbladder cancer also affects your liver, we may use a combination of chemotherapy and surgery, bringing together our surgeons and medical oncologists to provide you with the best care.
About Gallbladder Cancer
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located just underneath the liver. Your gallbladder stores bile made by the liver. Bile aids digestion. During the digestive process, your gallbladder contracts to release bile it is storing into the small intestine.
Gallbladder cancer is rare. Symptoms may vary by patient, with some patients experiencing no symptoms at all initially. When cancer does develop in the gallbladder, it typically starts in its lining along with the possible buildup of gallstones. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to your full recovery.
Our surgical oncologists (doctors specializing in cancer surgery) have extensive experience in treating gallbladder cancer.
Procedures we perform
We diagnose your condition and use the surgical procedure that provides you the best possible outcome, which may include:
- Partial liver resection and lymphadenectomy—involves taking out the gallbladder and a portion of the liver to remove the cancer along with the surrounding lymph nodes to diagnose the stage of the cancer to help determine follow up treatment needs
- Bile duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy—a complete resection of the bile ducts to create a new connection to the intestines to allow for normal bile flow if the gallbladder tumor has spread to the bile ducts
- Hepatic trisegmentectomy—removing all of the cancer with an extensive liver resection and bile duct reconstruction for larger gallbladder tumors based on our world-renowned experience with liver surgery.