Read article Should I see a specialist for gallbladder cancer?
This page tells you about the guidelines that GPs have to help them decide who needs to see a specialist for suspected gallbladder cancer and how soon.
Guidelines for seeing a gallbladder cancer specialist
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who has something much less serious. But there are particular symptoms that mean your GP should refer you to a specialist straight away. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says that the following symptoms need an urgent referral to a specialist.
- Unexplained abdominal pain and weight loss, with or without back pain
- A lump in your upper abdomen
- Feeling and being sick continuously, and losing weight
- Jaundice (yellowing skin) caused by a blockage
You should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral.
If you have symptoms and you do not think your GP is taking them seriously enough, you could print out this page and take it to your appointment. You may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist, and how soon.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the about gallbladder cancer section.
Gallbladder cancer is rare. There are about 660 cases diagnosed in the UK each year. It is more common in women than men, and as with most cancers it is more common in older people.
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who may have something much more minor that will go away on its own. With many symptoms, it is perfectly right that your GP should ask you to wait to see if they get better or respond to simple treatments. If GPs referred everyone who came to see them to a specialist immediately, the system would get jammed and people needing urgent appointments wouldn't be able to get them.
UK guidelines were revised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2005 to help GPs decide which patients need to be seen urgently by a specialist. There are particular symptoms that mean your GP should refer you to a specialist straight away. Gallbladder cancer is in the guidelines section on upper gastrointestinal (upper GI) cancer.
While reading these guidelines, it is important to remember that
- Gallbladder cancer is rare
- It is more common in women. Around 450 women and 170 men are diagnosed with this cancer each year in the UK
- It is more common in older people - there are few cases in people under 70
According to the NICE guidelines, you should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral.
You may need an urgent referral to see a specialist in gallbladder cancer if you have
- Unexplained abdominal pain and weight loss, with or without back pain
- A lump in your upper abdomen
- Feeling and being sick continuously, and losing weight
- Jaundice (yellowing skin) caused by a blockage in your liver or bile duct
There is more information in our sections about the symptoms of gallbladder cancer and its risks and causes.
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking your symptoms as seriously as you think they should, you could print this page and take it along to an appointment. Ask your GP to talk it through with you and then you may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist and if so, how soon.
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