Gallbladder cancer is a rare form of cancer caused by the buildup of gallstones in the gall bladder (Rosenthal, Zenilman, & Katlic, 2001). One of the common risk factors of gallbladder cancer is age. It mainly affects older people because of their reduced body immunity. This is evident from the small number of cases reported among people below the age of 70.
Research has found out that gallstone disease is common among people with gallbladder cancer. Age escalates the progression of gallstones into gallbladder cancer because of the time it takes for symptoms of the latter to appear. Symptoms appear after the cancer has reached advanced stages, which could take a long time. According to medical experts, the risk of developing gallbladder cancer from gallstones is very high.
Patients with large gallstones are at a higher risk of cancer compared to those with small gallstones. Large gallstones grow over long periods, thus increase the risk of cancer for the elderly (Rosenthal, et. al, 2001). Old people are at higher risk because it takes longer for gallstones to enlarge and progress into gallbladder cancer. Moreover, cancer-causing mutations take time to occur and reach critical levels that cause gallbladder cancer.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHNES), 14.2 million women had gallstone disease in the United States in the year 2000 (Rosenthal, et. al, 2001). In addition, 6.3 million men had the disease. The rate of incidence of gallstone disease is 60% among American Indians. It has an incidence rate of 20% in northern Europe and 10% in Europe (Shaffer, 2006).
The disease has the lowest rates of occurrence among African Americans. Gallstone disease is most prevalent in North American Indians. It affects 73% of the female population. In the U.S., the prevalence rate is 64.1% among women and 29.5% among men (Shaffer, 2006). Among white Americans, the prevalence is 16.6 among women and 7.9% among men (Shaffer, 2006).
The incidence rates of gallstone disease are lower in sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia. Disease control methods include management of body weight and embracement of a healthy diet (Andren-Sandberg, 2012).
Patients are encouraged to take diets rich in fiber, caffeine, vitamin C, and calcium. Nuts and vegetable proteins are encouraged. Diets that contain high calorie foods and reined carbohydrates are discouraged. Research has shown that intake of polyunsaturated fats aid in the reduction of gallstone disease.
Challenges that developing countries face when treating gallbladder cancer include internal infections and bleeding, injuries, lack of experienced medical personnel. Infections and bleeding are mainly caused by lack of advanced technologies and qualified medical practitioners. Other challenges include injuries to internal organs and blood vessels.
Lack of qualified medical practitioners leads to medical errors such as internal bleeding, infection of incisions, and anesthesia. In addition, gallstones might not be completely removed and cause further complications after surgery (Chandra, 2004). The treatment of cancer is costly and many people in developing countries cannot afford it. Therefore, patients usually seek treatment from foreign countries thus making treatment expensive.
Cancer can be successfully treated if diagnosed early. These problems can be solved through public awareness and intensive education. In addition, governments should consider investing in advanced technologies in order to reduce the cost of treatment.
In addition, governments should create and implement education programs to teach people about the diseases. Finally, governments should hire qualified medical practitioners that are not likely to cause errors during treatment of the disease.
References
Andren-Sandberg, A. (2012). Diagnosis and Management of Gallbladder Cancer. North American Journal of Medical Sciences, 4(7), 293-299.
Chandra, P. S. (2004). Gallbladder Cancer. New York: Jaypee Brothers Publishers.
Rosenthal, R. A., Zenilman, M. E., & Katlic, M. R. (2001). Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery. New York: Springer.
Shaffer, E. (2006). Epidemiology of Gallbladder Stone disease. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology, 20(6), 981-996.