Medical Health Encyclopedia

Gallbladder Polyps and Primary Scerlosing Cholangitis. Polyps (growths) are sometimes detected during diagnostic tests for gallbladder disease. Small gallbladder polyps (up to 10 mm) pose little or no risk, but large ones (greater than 15 mm) pose some risk for cancer, so the gallbladder should be removed. Patients with polyps 10 to 15 mm have a lower risk but they should still discuss removal of their gallbladder with their doctor.

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis. Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a rare disease that causes inflammation and scarring in the bile duct. It is associated with a lifetime risk of 7% to 12% for gallbladder cancer. The cause is unknown although it tends to strike younger men with ulcerative colitis. Polyps are often detected in this condition and have a very high likelihood of malignancy.

Anomalous Junction of the Pancreatic and Biliary Ducts. With this rare inborn condition, the junction of the common bile duct and main pancreatic duct is outside the wall of the small intestine and forms a long channel between them. This problem poses a very high risk for cancers in the biliary tract.

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Porcelain Gallbladders. Gallbladders are referred to as porcelain when their walls have become so calcified that they look like porcelain on an x-ray. Porcelain gallbladders have been associated with a very high risk for cancer, although recent evidence suggests that the risk is lower than previously thought. The incidence appears to depend on the presence of specific factors, such as partial calcification involving the mucosal lining. This condition may develop from a chronic inflammatory reaction that may actually be responsible for the cancer risk. Studies are reporting no higher risk with "true" porcelain gallbladders, in which the gallbladder walls are entirely calcified.