How is the diagnosis of gallbladder cancer made?
If you’re having gallbladder-cancer-like symptoms, your doctor will ask you about your medical history, family history of cancer, and other risk factors. The doctor will do a physical exam, X-rays, and other tests. Your doctor may order either an ultrasound or a CT scan of your abdomen. If these scans show any abnormality near the gallbladder, the doctor may request a biopsy. A biopsy is the removal of a sample of tissue that a specialist looks at under a microscope to check for cancer cells. It’s common for the biopsy to be done with the aid of a CT scan, which locates the tumor. This is called a CT scan-guided biopsy. Your doctor inserts a needle into the tumor to take out some tissue. Sometimes a biopsy needs to be done in an operating room.
