Risk Factors In Having Gallbladder Cancer (Part 1)

A number of factors may increase your risk of both gallbladder and bile duct tumors, including:

1) Gallstones. These solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts form in your gallbladder, they are the most common risk factor for gallbladder cancer. The stones may cause your gallbladder to release bile more slowly, which increases the amount of time cells are exposed to toxins. Although most people with gallbladder cancer also have gallstones, the vast majority of people with gallstones never develop gallbladder cancer.

2) Age. The chances of developing gallbladder cancer increase as you get older. Most people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer are in their 70s. Bile duct cancer is most common in those over 65.

3) Your sex. Women are at least twice as likely as men are to develop gallbladder cancer. They're also more likely to have gallstones because the female hormone estrogen causes more cholesterol, the main component of most gallstones, to be excreted in bile. But, bile duct cancers are more likely to occur in men than they are in women.

4) Bile duct abnormalities. The pancreatobiliary duct junction is the point where the common bile duct — which carries bile from your liver and gallbladder to your small intestine — joins the pancreatic duct carrying digestive juices from your pancreas. In some people, these two ducts connect in a way that allows pancreatic juices to back up into the bile duct and prevents bile from being quickly emptied into the small intestine. This may irritate the cells lining the gallbladder and bile ducts, increasing the risk of cancer.

5) Gallbladder polyps. These are growths on the inner surface of your gallbladder. Most aren't cancerous, but polyps can contain malignant cells.

6) Diet. Eating food high in carbohydrates and low in fiber may increase your risk of gallbladder cancer.

7) Hazardous chemicals and toxic substances. People exposed to certain industrial chemicals, especially azotoluene, have an increased risk of developing gallbladder cancer. Thorium dioxide (Thorotrast), a dye once used in X-rays, can cause both liver and bile duct cancers. Although Thorotrast hasn't been used for decades, exposure to other toxic materials — including dioxin, nitrosamines and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — may increase your risk of bile duct cancer.