If gallbladder cancer spreads

Cancer cells can spread from the gallbladder to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis.

Understanding how a type of cancer usually grows and spreads helps your healthcare team plan your treatment and future care. If gallbladder cancer spreads, it can spread to the following:

lymph nodes near the gallbladder
bile ducts
liver and the blood vessels of the liver
pancreas
small intestine – usually the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine)
stomach
colon
lung

Gallbladder tumours can also spread, or seed, cancer cells throughout the abdomen.

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