Diagnostic criteria for gallbladder cancer

What are the diagnostic criteria for gallbladder cancer? Gallbladder cancer patients may have a variety of symptoms and manifestations depending on the location and depth of the lesion. Therefore, early and clear diagnosis often requires the following diagnostic methods:

1. Laboratory examination

The laboratory examination method for gallbladder cancer mainly refers to the examination of tumor markers. The serum CEA, CA19-9, CA125, etc. of patients with gallbladder cancer can be elevated. Among them, CA19-9 is the most sensitive, but it has no specificity. The CEA positivity rate is about 100%. The serum CEA value of patients with advanced gallbladder cancer can reach 9.6ng/ml, but it has no diagnostic value in the early stage. Fine needle puncture of the gallbladder bile for tumor marker examination is more diagnostically meaningful.

2. Ultrasound examination

B-ultrasound is the preferred method for diagnosing gallbladder cancer. It has the advantages of being non-invasive, easy to operate, non-destructive, and repeatable. Its diagnostic accuracy rate is 75% to 88%. Ultrasound images show irregular thickening of the gallbladder wall and echogenic masses in a fixed position within the cavity without acoustic shadows.

3. Color ultrasound examination

Color Doppler flow imaging can show gallbladder masses and abnormal high-speed arterial blood flow signals within the wall, which helps to distinguish primary gallbladder cancer, gallbladder metastasis and benign gallbladder masses.

4. CT examination

The sensitivity of CT examination for gallbladder cancer is 50%. It can show uneven thickening of the gallbladder wall, a mass with fixed position and shape in the cavity, liver metastasis or enlarged lymph nodes. In addition, it can clearly show the rich blood supply of the tumor.