Screening

Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease. This is before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:

• need to be reliable at picking up cancers
• overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
• must be something that people are willing to do

Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.

Screening for gallbladder cancer

There is no UK screening programme for gallbladder cancer. Because it is a rare condition, too many people would have to have unnecessary tests. Screening everyone would be very expensive for each cancer found.

If you're at a high risk

Talk to your GP if you think you are at higher than average risk of gallbladder cancer.

You may be able to have:

• regular checkups
• ERCP test
• endoscopic ultrasound

It's important to see the doctor if you develop any gallbladder cancer symptoms. This is the best way to find gallbladder cancer at the earliest stage, when it's most treatable.