Causes of Gallbladder Cancer in the Elderly

Every disease comes for a reason, so if you want to prevent or treat the disease, it is necessary to understand this aspect. Today we mainly introduce gallbladder cancer, which happens from time to time in people's lives. This disease is actually a malignant tumor disease. You should have heard of it, and it does bring great pain to people to a certain extent. Let's introduce some of its pathogenic factors to you.

1. The relationship between cholelithiasis and gallbladder cancer Patients with gallbladder cancer often have gallstones. Gallbladder cancer often occurs in the neck of the gallbladder, which is easily hit by gallstones, and often occurs when the gallstones have been present for more than 10 years. Therefore, it is believed that gallstones and gallbladder cancer are closely related. The risk of gallbladder cancer is 10 times greater for patients with gallstones larger than 3 cm in diameter than for patients with gallstones smaller than 1 cm in diameter. Some people believe that gallstones contain carcinogenic factors, but there is a lack of definite evidence, and the incidence of gallbladder cancer in patients with cholelithiasis is only one percent. Therefore, it is not clear whether there is a clear causal relationship between gallstones and gallbladder cancer.

Some people studied the cholecystectomy specimens and found that the rate of atypical cell proliferation and malignant transformation was higher in the group with severe chronic gallbladder inflammation than in the group with mild chronic gallbladder inflammation; there was a high rate of intestinal metaplasia in non-cancerous areas; there was a tumor structure similar to the intestinal epithelium in the cancerous lesions, so intestinal metaplasia was considered to be an important lesion for canceration. The occurrence of gallbladder cancer may be the development process of normal gallbladder mucosa → chronic cholecystitis (including stones) → intestinal metaplasia → differentiated gallbladder cancer (intestinal type cancer).

2. The relationship between benign gallbladder polyps, adenomas and gallbladder cancer Sawyer reported 29 cases of benign gallbladder tumors, of which 4 were malignant. He reviewed the literature of the past 20 years and believed that gallbladder adenomas are precancerous lesions. Gallbladder adenomas are mostly single, pedunculated, and the canceration rate is about 10%. If combined with gallstones, the risk of canceration increases. Studies have found that those with a diameter of less than 12mm are mostly benign adenomas; those with a diameter of more than 12mm are mostly malignant lesions. All carcinomas in situ and invasive carcinomas have adenomatous components, so it is believed that adenomas have the possibility of canceration.

3. Relationship between abnormal confluence of the bile and pancreatic ducts and the incidence of gallbladder cancer Kinoshita and Nagata studied that when the common channel of the bile and pancreatic ducts exceeds 15 mm, pancreaticobiliary reflux occurs, which is called abnormal bile and pancreatic confluence. Many authors have pointed out that abnormal confluence of the bile and pancreatic ducts increases the incidence of gallbladder cancer. When the confluence of the pancreaticobiliary ducts is malformed, long-term reflux of pancreatic juice causes continuous destruction of the gallbladder mucosa and repeated regeneration, and cancer may occur during this process.

4. Other factors In addition, Ritchie et al. reported that chronic ulcerative colitis is often associated with gallbladder cancer. The incidence of gallbladder cancer in patients with Mirizzi syndrome is increased, which may also be one of the causes. There are reports that the onset of gallbladder cancer is related to abnormalities of the cystic duct or congenital bile duct dilatation.

Based on the introduction of the above aspects, everyone should have understood some of the causative factors of this disease. I hope these contents can bring some help to friends in need. If you are one of the patients, it is recommended that you can find the cause of your disease, which will also be of great help to the treatment.