Gallbladder cancer palliative treatment

Palliative treatment options
Palliative treatment options may include the following:


 * The preferred approach to biliary obstruction is percutaneous transhepatic radiologic catheter bypass or endoscopically placed stents.
 * Standard external-beam radiation therapy can, on occasion, alleviate biliary obstruction in some patients and may supplement bypass procedures.
 * Palliative surgery may relieve bile duct obstruction and is warranted when symptoms produced by biliary blockade (pruritus, hepatic dysfunction, and cholangitis) outweigh other symptoms from the cancer.
 * Standard chemotherapy is usually not effective, though occasional patients may be palliated. Clinical trials should be considered as a first option for most patients.