How did you or a loved one find out about the cancer?

My sister recently had her gallbladder removed due to gall stones. In the lymph node that was removed with it they found granulomas. She went to see her doctor and they are giving it to a cancer specialist to look at it. We will not find out the results for a few days, probably next week. I was wondering how others found out they had cancer. Is this a common way to find out? Or is this not a common sign?

On 8/13/2009 amirose wrote:

My sister recently had her gallbladder removed due to gall stones. In the lymph node that was removed with it they found granulomas. She went to see her doctor and they are giving it to a cancer specialist to look at it. We will not find out the results for a few days, probably next week. I was wondering how others found out they had cancer. Is this a common way to find out? Or is this not a common sign?

Hi Amirose. Gallbladder cancer is very often found incidentally upon removal of a gallbladder for presumed gallstones. You did not mention if cancer was found within the gallbladder itself. If cancer has spread from inside the gallbladder to the outside, it then can spread to the liver or other organ, and/or lymph nodes, usually ones in that area. GBC is often not found, not diagnosed, until at least some spread has occurred. Granulomas, however, are not cancerous. Please let us know how your sister is doing.

 

On 8/13/2009 amirose wrote:

My sister recently had her gallbladder removed due to gall stones. In the lymph node that was removed with it they found granulomas. She went to see her doctor and they are giving it to a cancer specialist to look at it. We will not find out the results for a few days, probably next week. I was wondering how others found out they had cancer. Is this a common way to find out? Or is this not a common sign?

My mom's gallbladder cancer was found because she had a slight but persistent cough that did not go away.  (She never smoked.)  When they did a chest x-ray they found nodules in her lungs.  When these were biopsied, they determined that gallbladder cancer had spread to her lungs. She had what was referred to as a "porcelin gallbladder."

My best to you and your sister.