Gallbladder cancer CT

Overview
It is hard to detect early forms of gallbladder cancer. Like other cancer diseases, doctors need to administer many tests to diagnose cancer and determine whether it has metastasized. For most types of cancer, a biopsy is the best way to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer. If a biopsy is not possible, other image tests are recommended such as computed tomography (CT) scan, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or Positron emission tomography (PET) scan.

CT

 * Computed tomography (CT) scan and biopsy: CT scans are often used to diagnose gallbladder cancer. It can confirm the location of the cancer and show the organs near the gallbladder, as well as lymph nodes and distant organs where the cancer might have spread. These are helpful in staging the cancer and in determining whether surgery is a good treatment option. CT scans can also be used to guide a biopsy procedure and a biopsy sample is then removed and looked at under a microscope.

PET

 * Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: When doing this test, a small amount of a radioactive medium is injected into your body and absorbed by the organs or tissues. This radioactive substance gives off energy to produce the images. PET scans can provide more helpful information than CT and MRI scans. It is useful to see if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes and also useful for your doctor to locate where the cancer has spread.