Gallbladder polyps - Causes, symptoms and treatment

As a benign disease, gallbladder polyps can turn into gallbladder cancer if not treated promptly. The following signs and treatments for gallbladder polyps will help patients understand more about the disease.

What is gallbladder polyps?

Gallbladder polyps (also known as gallbladder tumors ), are a type of prosthetic tumors that grow in the gallbladder lining. Gallbladder polyps are usually detected on ultrasound.

Most gallbladder polyps are harmless, they are just building blocks of cholesterol rather than cancer cells. However, gallbladder polyps can also be small tumors, some of which may be cancerous while others are benign tumors. These small tumors can protrude from inside the walls of the gallbladder.

When it comes to gallbladder polyps, the size is definitely important: the bigger the polyps, the greater the risk of gallbladder cancer. Polyps greater than 1 cm are more likely to be cancer, so doctors often recommend removing the gallbladder in patients with large gallbladder polyps. Smaller polyps are less likely to develop into cancer.

Gallbladder polyps may not cause any symptoms at all.

Common symptoms of gallbladder polyps

What are the signs and symptoms of gallbladder polyps?

Gallbladder polyps may not cause any symptoms at all. But the disease can cause biliary colic (stomach pain from the gallbladder). This pain is usually caused by gallstones, but if you don't find gallstones, gallbladder polyps can be the cause of pain.

You may experience other symptoms not mentioned. If you have any questions about the signs of illness, consult your doctor.

Is gallbladder polyp disease dangerous?

Gallbladder polyps are very common diseases in our country. Although most gallbladder polyps are benign, some cases are cancerous. If you do not detect and treat cancerous polyps of cancer, your health will be severely affected and may cause complications.

When do you need to see a doctor?

If you have any of the above signs or symptoms or have any questions, please consult your doctor. Each person is different. So ask your doctor to choose the most appropriate plan.

The cause of gallbladder polyps

The exact cause of gallbladder polyps remains unknown. These tumors are usually benign but not always, there is even some evidence that the age of people, gallstones or large-sized polyps can also develop into malignant. However, because tumors are often undiagnosed until abdominal ultrasound or gallbladder surgery, you must know the disease in order to respond promptly.

The risk of developing gallbladder polyps

Who often gets gallbladder polyps?

Gallbladder polyps can affect patients of all ages. You can control gallbladder polyps by reducing risk factors. Please consult your doctor for more details.

What factors increase the risk of gallbladder polyps?

Gallbladder polyps are tumors in the gallbladder. We now have very little information about the factors that lead to the development of gallbladder polyps. However, the formation of gallbladder polyps is related to fat metabolism. The relationship between gallbladder polyps and family history of some diseases shows evidence to carry out some genetic studies.

Patients with congenital polyposis syndrome such as Peutz-Jeghers and Gardner syndrome may also develop gallbladder polyps.

Risk factors in patients with malignant gallbladder polyps include age over 60, gallstones, primary cholangitis. Characteristics of risk factors for polyp include size larger than 6 mm, single and non-stemmed.

To get a good look at the gallbladder, doctors often perform ultrasound methods.

Treatment of gallbladder polyps

The information provided does not replace the advice of health professionals. Please consult your doctor.

What medical techniques are used to diagnose gallbladder polyps?

To get a good look at the gallbladder, doctors often perform ultrasound methods . You can see gallbladder polyps on the ultrasound image and then calculate the size (and the danger of polyps) of the tumor.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan or a computerized tomography (CT) scan can help assess the likelihood of developing cancer cells in larger gallbladder polyps. You can perform both of these tests to continuously monitor gallbladder polyps to detect any suspicious changes that might indicate gall bladder cancer.

What methods are used to treat gallbladder polyps?

Basically, you have two options: Consider and wait or gallbladder removal surgery . Very small polyps, tumors below cm (or less than 1.5cm, according to some studies), you may not need a gallbladder removal surgery, can instead be monitored regularly by scanning and Re-evaluate any suspicious changes that could indicate that it is gallbladder cancer.

Polyps larger than 1cm are more likely to become cancerous, especially polyps larger than 1.5cm - these polyps are likely to contain 46 to 70% of cancer cells.

You should follow the gallbladder polyps less than 1.5cm every 3-6 months to 2 years, then stop if there are no changes in the polyps. Treatment of size polyps less than 0.5 cm is not recommended by removal of the gallbladder. In small-sized gallbladder polyps, the risk of gallbladder cancer is extremely rare.

You can treat cancer gallbladder polyps with a gallbladder removal surgery. For large gallbladder polyps, doctors will also recommend removal of the gallbladder to prevent the development of cancer.

Deciding how to treat gallbladder polyps requires a careful balance between the potential risks of surgery and the potential risks of developing gallbladder cancer. You can pay attention to general cancer risk and regularly monitor the status of gallbladder polyps to protect your health.

Suitable living regime

What is gallbladder polyp diets and should you eat?

Diet can play an important role. You should eat foods high in fat and healthy fiber to help prevent gallstones. Refined cereals (found in sugary cereals, white rice, bread and pasta) and sugar are believed to be at high risk of causing gallbladder disease. The doctor also recommends eating cereals such as brown rice, whole-grain bread, fat from fish and olive oil.

Besides, when you have gallbladder polyps, you should abstain from 'bad' fatty foods like:

1. Chocolate : you should abstain from chocolate no matter what form (chocolate bar, milk, cake, coffee, etc.). Chocolate will make the symptoms of gallbladder polyps worse.
2. Milk : you do not have to abstain from milk completely, you can limit your milk consumption.
3. Foods that are high in fat : these foods will make people sick. However, consuming too little or not consuming fat will lead to rapid weight loss, causing dizziness and headaches.
4. Alcohol : harmful for not only gallbladder, but also bad for liver. Therefore, you should refrain from drinking alcohol when sick.