Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Gallbladder Cancer
Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver. It stores bile, a fluid made by your liver to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, your gallbladder releases bile through a tube called the common bile duct. The duct connects your gallbladder and liver to your small intestine.
Cancer of the gallbladder is rare. It is more common in women and Native Americans. Symptoms include Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) Pain above the stomach Fever Nausea and vomiting Bloating Lumps in the abdomen
It is hard to diagnose gallbladder cancer in its early stages. Sometimes doctors find it when they remove the gallbladder for another reason. But people with gallstones rarely have gallbladder cancer. Because it is often found late, it can be hard to treat gallbladder cancer. Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination.
It sits within Cancers and Digestive System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Cancer Institute.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Gallbladder Cancer
375 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Study on Sequential Cryoablation, Relaforp Alpha, and Chemotherapy for Bile Duct TumorsTianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital
- DESTINY-PANTUMOUR04AstraZeneca
- Trial Comparing Standard of Care Therapy With and Without Sequential Cytoreductive Intervention for Patients With Metastatic Foregut Adenocarcinoma and Undetectable Circulating Tumor-Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid (ctDNA) LevelsYale University
- A Study of Rilvegostomig or Durvalumab Plus Chemotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Biliary Tract Cancer (ARTEMIDE-Biliary02)AstraZeneca
- Efficacy and Safety of Zanidatamab With Standard-of-care Therapy Against Standard-of-care Therapy for Advanced HER2-positive Biliary Tract CancerJazz Pharmaceuticals
- Atezolizumab Plus Tivozanib in Immunologically Cold Tumor TypesUniversity of Florida
Research already completed
- Safety and Efficacy of EUS-guided Gallbladder Drainage Under Endoscopist-directed Conscious SedationAzienda Unita Sanitaria Locale di Piacenza
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- General Information about Gallbladder CancerNational Cancer Institute
- What Is Gallbladder Cancer?American Cancer Society
Diagnosis and Tests
- Abdominal UltrasoundRadiological Society of North America
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Liver Function TestsNational Library of Medicine
- MRCP (MR Cholangiopancreatography)Radiological Society of North America
- Stages of Gallbladder CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Tests for Gallbladder CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Treatments and Therapies
- Surgery for Gallbladder CancerAmerican Cancer Society
- Treatment of Localized and Locally Advanced Gallbladder CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Treatment of Unresectable, Metastatic, or Recurrent Gallbladder CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Treatment Option Overview (Gallbladder Cancer)National Cancer Institute
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Can Gallbladder Cancer Be Prevented?American Cancer Society
- Risk Factors for Gallbladder CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Living With
- Living as a Gallbladder Cancer SurvivorAmerican Cancer Society
- Palliative Therapy for Gallbladder CancerAmerican Cancer Society
Related Issues
- Gallbladder Polyps: Can They Be Cancerous?Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Statistics and Research
- Key Statistics for Gallbladder CancerAmerican Cancer Society
- What's New in Gallbladder Cancer Research?American Cancer Society
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Gallbladder NeoplasmsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Gallbladder Neoplasms. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Gallbladder Cancer, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.