Do you also have gallbladder polyps? Don't worry, let's find out for sure!

Maybe you've had an ultrasound scan for some other stomach problem and the report said "Gallbladder Polyp" and you were a little worried. Or maybe you've just heard the name. What exactly are these growths in the gallbladder? Are they as dangerous as they sound? Can they be cancerous? Let's clear up all your questions about this today.

First, let's see, what is this gallbladder?

Before we talk about these nuts, let's understand a little about the place where these nuts are produced, that is, the gallbladder. Imagine that our body is like a big factory. The liver in this factory is what makes a liquid called bile. This bile is very important for us to digest the fatty foods we eat.

Now, the bile produced by the liver does not go directly to the intestines. It is stored in a small sac-like organ. That is what we call the gallbladder . It is a small organ shaped like a fig, located under the liver. The gallbladder stores some bile, absorbs the water in it, and thickens it. When we eat fatty foods, the gallbladder contracts and sends this thickened bile to the intestines. Simply put, the gallbladder is the 'bile storehouse' in our body.

So what are these gallbladder polyps?

Okay, now we know what a gallbladder is. Gallbladder polyps are abnormal tissue growths that form on the mucous lining of the gallbladder. Think of them as something like warts on our skin that grow inside the gallbladder. They can be caused by a variety of things.

Studies show that between 4% and 7% of adults develop gallbladder tumors. However, only 5% of these tumors are cancerous. So there's no need to panic when you hear the name.

How many types of these nuts are there?

Yes, these gallstones are not all the same. They can be divided into several main types. Let's see what they are.

Can gallbladder tumors cause pain? What are the symptoms?

This is also a problem for many people. Surprisingly, 99% of gallbladder cysts do not cause any symptoms . Most of the time, they are discovered incidentally during an ultrasound scan done for another reason.

However, very rarely, symptoms can occur if a cystic duct or bile duct is blocked. This can cause bile to pool inside the gallbladder, causing the gallbladder to swell. In these cases, you may experience symptoms such as:

• Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen.
• Fever.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (Jaundice).

Why do tumors like this form? Are there any risk factors?

Scientists still don't know exactly why they form, like real tumors. They are abnormal growths in the body's cells.

However, the two most common types, cholesterol polyps and inflammatory polyps, which we discussed earlier, form as a side effect of other medical conditions. They are caused by high cholesterol levels and frequent inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis).

There are several factors that increase the risk of developing gallbladder tumors:

• Having gallstones.
• Frequent swelling of the gallbladder (Cholecystitis).
• Inflammation of the bile ducts (Cholangitis).
• Hepatitis B infection.
• Some genetic conditions (e.g. Familial Adenomatous Polyposis - FAP).
• Increased cholesterol levels in the body.
• Over 50 years of age.

The biggest question on everyone's mind: Could these be cancerous?

Okay, now let's get to the most important thing. If your scan report says 'gallbladder polyp', the first question that comes to your mind is, "Oh, could this be cancer?"

The truth is, a doctor cannot say with 100% certainty from a scan whether a tumor is cancerous or not. The only way to know for sure is to surgically remove the gallbladder and send the tumor to a lab for testing (biopsy).

But, not everyone with a tumor has their gallbladder removed, right? That's why doctors assess the risk of the tumor becoming cancerous. To do this, they mainly consider a few things:

1. Size of the tumor: This is the most important factor. Non-cancerous tumors are usually small in size. Cancerous tumors tend to be larger in size.

2. Growth Rate: After you find out you have a tumor, your doctor will likely ask you to have an ultrasound scan every year or so to see how fast the tumor is growing. A benign tumor usually grows less than 2 millimeters per year. However, a cancerous tumor can grow much faster.

3. Symptoms: If there are symptoms such as pain and fever, that is also taken into account.

4. Patient's age: More attention is paid to tumors that occur in people over the age of 50.

So, your doctor will look at all of this and decide whether you need treatment, or if just a scan will suffice.

What are the treatments for gallbladder tumors?

There are two main methods of treating gallbladder tumors.

1. Observation

This is what happens most of the time. If your tumor is small (less than 1 cm), has no symptoms, and has no other risk factors, your doctor will tell you that there is nothing you can do right now, and that we will just watch it. This means that you will have an ultrasound scan every 6 months or a year to see if the tumor is changing in size. If there is no change, you will continue to be monitored.

2. Surgery - Cholecystectomy

If there is any suspicion that your tumor may be cancerous, the best and only treatment is to remove the entire gallbladder through surgery. You can't just remove the tumor from the gallbladder. You have to remove the gallbladder itself.

Cases in which surgery is recommended:

• If the tumor is larger than 1 cm.
• If the tumor is growing rapidly.
• If there are gallstones along with the tumor.
• If the tumor causes severe symptoms.

This surgery is also performed in two main ways.

Is it difficult to live after having your gallbladder removed?

This is also something that many people fear. They think, "Oh, if I remove an organ from my body, there will be a problem, right?"

Actually, the gallbladder is not an organ that we cannot live without. After it is removed, you can live a completely normal life. When the gallbladder is removed, the bile produced in the liver does not store it, but flows directly into the intestines little by little.

After surgery, some people may experience some stomach discomfort or bloating after eating fatty foods. That's why your doctor will tell you to cut down on fried foods and oils for the first few weeks. But after a while, your body will get used to this new way of eating. After that, most people can eat any food normally without any problems.

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