Overview
Gallbladder cancer is cancer that begins in the gallbladder.

Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder stores bile, a digestive fluid produced by your liver.

Gallbladder cancer is uncommon. When gallbladder cancer is discovered at its earliest stages, the chance for a cure is very good. But most gallbladder cancers are discovered at a late stage, when the prognosis is often very poor.

Gallbladder cancer is difficult to diagnose because it often causes no specific signs or symptoms. Also, the relatively hidden nature of the gallbladder makes it easier for gallbladder cancer to grow without being detected.

Gallbladder cancer care at Mayo Clinic

Symptoms
Gallbladder cancer signs and symptoms may include:

Abdominal pain, particularly in the upper right portion of the abdomen
Abdominal bloating
Fever
Losing weight without trying
Nausea
Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you experience any signs or symptoms that worry you.

Causes
It's not clear what causes gallbladder cancer.

Doctors know that gallbladder cancer forms when healthy gallbladder cells develop changes (mutations) in their DNA. These mutations cause cells to grow out of control and to continue living when other cells would normally die. The accumulating cells form a tumor that can grow beyond the gallbladder and spread to other areas of the body.

Most gallbladder cancer begins in the glandular cells that line the inner surface of the gallbladder. Gallbladder cancer that begins in this type of cell is called adenocarcinoma. This term refers to the way the cancer cells appear when examined under a microscope.

Risk factors
Factors that can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer include:

Your sex. Gallbladder cancer is more common in women.
Your age. Your risk of gallbladder cancer increases as you age.
A history of gallstones. Gallbladder cancer is most common in people who have had gallstones in the past. Still, gallbladder cancer is very rare in these people.
Other gallbladder diseases and conditions. Other gallbladder conditions that can increase the risk of gallbladder cancer include gallbladder polyps and chronic gallbladder infection.

Overview
Cholecystitis (ko-luh-sis-TIE-tis) is inflammation of the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid that's released into your small intestine (bile).

In most cases, gallstones blocking the tube leading out of your gallbladder cause cholecystitis. This results in a bile buildup that can cause inflammation. Other causes of cholecystitis include bile duct problems, tumors, serious illness and certain infections.

If left untreated, cholecystitis can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening complications, such as a gallbladder rupture. Treatment for cholecystitis often involves gallbladder removal.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of cholecystitis may include:

Severe pain in your upper right or center abdomen
Pain that spreads to your right shoulder or back
Tenderness over your abdomen when it's touched
Nausea
Vomiting
Fever
Cholecystitis signs and symptoms often occur after a meal, particularly a large or fatty one.

When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have worrisome signs or symptoms. If your abdominal pain is so severe that you can't sit still or get comfortable, have someone drive you to the emergency room.

Causes
Cholecystitis occurs when your gallbladder becomes inflamed. Gallbladder inflammation can be caused by:

Gallstones. Most often, cholecystitis is the result of hard particles that develop in your gallbladder (gallstones). Gallstones can block the tube (cystic duct) through which bile flows when it leaves the gallbladder. Bile builds up, causing inflammation.
Tumor. A tumor may prevent bile from draining out of your gallbladder properly, causing bile buildup that can lead to cholecystitis.
Bile duct blockage. Kinking or scarring of the bile ducts can cause blockages that lead to cholecystitis.
Infection. AIDS and certain viral infections can trigger gallbladder inflammation.
Blood vessel problems. A very severe illness can damage blood vessels and decrease blood flow to the gallbladder, leading to cholecystitis.
Risk factors
Having gallstones is the main risk factor for developing cholecystitis.

Complications
Cholecystitis can lead to a number of serious complications, including:

Infection within the gallbladder. If bile builds up within your gallbladder, causing cholecystitis, the bile may become infected.
Death of gallbladder tissue. Untreated cholecystitis can cause tissue in the gallbladder to die (gangrene). It's the most common complication, especially among older people, those who wait to get treatment, and those with diabetes. This can lead to a tear in the gallbladder, or it may cause your gallbladder to burst.
Torn gallbladder. A tear (perforation) in your gallbladder may result from gallbladder swelling, infection or death of tissue.
Prevention
You can reduce your risk of cholecystitis by taking the following steps to prevent gallstones:

Lose weight slowly. Rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gallstones. If you need to lose weight, aim to lose 1 or 2 pounds (0.5 to about 1 kilogram) a week.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight makes you more likely to develop gallstones. To achieve a healthy weight, reduce calories and increase your physical activity. Maintain a healthy weight by continuing to eat well and exercise.
Choose a healthy diet. Diets high in fat and low in fiber may increase the risk of gallstones. To lower your risk, choose a diet high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Overview
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.

The term "chronic" in chronic lymphocytic leukemia comes from the fact that it typically progresses more slowly than other types of leukemia. The term "lymphocytic" in chronic lymphocytic leukemia comes from the cells affected by the disease — a group of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which help your body fight infection.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia most commonly affects older adults. There are treatments to help control the disease.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia care at Mayo Clinic

Symptoms
Many people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have no early symptoms. Those who do develop signs and symptoms may experience:

Enlarged, but painless, lymph nodes
Fatigue
Fever
Pain in the upper left portion of the abdomen, which may be caused by an enlarged spleen
Night sweats
Weight loss
Frequent infections
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you have any persistent signs and symptoms that worry you.

Causes
Doctors aren't certain what starts the process that causes chronic lymphocytic leukemia. What's known is that something happens to cause a genetic mutation in the DNA of blood-producing cells. This mutation causes the blood cells to produce abnormal, ineffective lymphocytes.

Beyond being ineffective, these abnormal lymphocytes continue to live and multiply, when normal lymphocytes would die. The abnormal lymphocytes accumulate in the blood and certain organs, where they cause complications. They may crowd healthy cells out of the bone marrow and interfere with normal blood cell production.

Doctors and researchers are working to understand the exact mechanism that causes chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Risk factors
Factors that may increase the risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia include:

Your age. This disease occurs most often in older adults. On average, people diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia are in their 70s.
Your race. Whites are more likely to develop chronic lymphocytic leukemia than are people of other races.
Family history of blood and bone marrow cancers. A family history of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or other blood and bone marrow cancers may increase your risk.
Exposure to chemicals. Certain herbicides and insecticides, including Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War, have been linked to an increased risk of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Complications
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia may cause complications such as:

Frequent infections. People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may experience frequent infections. In most cases, these infections are common infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract. But sometimes more-serious infections can develop.
A switch to a more aggressive form of cancer. A small number of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may develop a more aggressive form of cancer called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Doctors sometimes refer to this as Richter's syndrome.
Increased risk of other cancers. People with chronic lymphocytic leukemia have an increased risk of other types of cancer, including skin cancer, such as melanoma, and cancers of the lung and the digestive tract.
Immune system problems. A small number of people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia may develop an immune system problem that causes the disease-fighting cells of the immune system to mistakenly attack the red blood cells or the platelets.

Breast cancer starts when cells in the breast begin to grow out of control. These cells usually form a
tumor that can be seen on an x-ray or felt as a lump. The tumor is malignant (cancer) if the cells
can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. Breast
cancer occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get breast cancer too.
Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer and can spread to other areas. .
Where breast cancer starts
Breast cancers can start from different parts of the breast. Most breast cancers begin in the ducts that
carry milk to the nipple (ductal cancers). Some start in the glands that make breast milk globular
cancers. There are also other types of breast cancer that are less common.
A small number of cancers start in other tissues in the breast.
Although many types of breast cancer can cause a lump in the breast, not all do. Many breast cancers
are found on screening mammograms which can detect cancers at an earlier stage, before they
can be felt, and before symptoms develop. There are other symptoms of breast cancer you should
watch for and report to a health care provider.
It’s also important to understand that most breast lumps are benign and not cancer (malignant). Noncancerous breast tumors are abnormal
growths, but they do not spread outside of the breast and they are not life threatening. But some
benign breast lumps can increase a woman's risk of getting breast cancer. Any breast lump or change
needs to be checked by a health care professional to determine if it is benign or malignant (cancer) and
if it might affect your future cancer risk

How breast cancer spreads
Breast cancer can spread when the cancer cells get into the blood or lymph system and are carried to
other parts of the body.
The lymph system is a network of lymph (or lymphatic) vessels found throughout the body that
connects lymph nodes (small bean-shaped collections of immune system cells. The clear fluid inside
the lymph vessels, called lymph, contains tissue by-products and waste material, as well as immune
system cells. The lymph vessels carry lymph fluid away from the breast. In the case of breast cancer,
cancer cells can enter those lymph vessels and start to grow in lymph nodes. Most of the lymph vessels
of the breast drain into:
Lymph nodes under the arm (axillary nodes)
Lymph nodes around the collar bone (supraclavicular [above the collar bone] and
infraclavicular [below the collar bone] lymph nodes)
Lymph nodes inside the chest near the breast bone (internal mammary lymph nodes)

If cancer cells have spread to your lymph nodes, there is a higher chance that the cells could have
traveled through the lymph system and spread (metastasized) to other parts of your body. The more
lymph nodes with breast cancer cells, the more likely it is that the cancer may be found in other organs.
Because of this, finding cancer in one or more lymph nodes oen aects your treatment plan. Usually,
you will need surgery to remove one or more lymph nodes to know whether the cancer has spread.
Still, not all women with cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases, and some women with
no cancer cells in their lymph nodes develop metastases later.

Brain Cancer
Brain tumours include types of brain cancer, however not all brain tumours are cancerous.

Brain tumours are graded 1-4 by their behaviour such as speed of growth and how likely they are to spread. These grades are then split into low grade (1-2) and high grade (3-4), with low grade tumours defined as non-cancerous and high grade tumours as cancerous.

However, it is important to remember that just because a tumour is low grade, it does not mean there are no associated health risks or problems. Having regular check-ups is important whether you have a high or low grade tumour.

What is brain cancer?
Following the diagnosis of brain cancer, the first question you may ask is 'what is brain cancer'?

We have billions of cells in our body, which grow and multiply to help support our body's natural processes and functions, such as repairing damage.

However, if the cells in the brain 'go wrong' and begin to grow in an abnormal way, rather than repair damage, they can inadvertently cause it.

If these abnormal brain cells begin to grow and multiply, contained within the brain, this is how a primary brain tumour can occur. If the cells then grow rapidly and spread within the brain, this is how cancerous tumours are formed and will result in a brain cancer diagnosis.

If the cells go wrong elsewhere in the body first, say, the lungs, and those cells spread to the brain, this is known as secondary brain cancer or, metastases.

How brain cancer is graded
There are over 150 different brain tumour types, each named after the type of cell they grow from, their location in the brain how likely they are to spread.

Brain tumours that grow rapidly are known as high grade (grade 3 brain cancer and grade 4 brain cancer).

Occasionally, people will refer to these as stage 3 brain cancer or stage 4 brain cancer. However the word 'stage' is often used in other forms of cancer, but is incorrect when discussing brain cancer.

Brain tumours that grow more slowly, and are usually non-cancerous, are known as low grade (grade 1 brain tumour and grade 2 brain tumour).

The prognosis for brain cancer varies from person to person and your medical team is best placed to advice you of this based on your individual circumstances and brain cancer diagnosis.

What is the cause of brain cancer
It is important to remember that there is nothing you could have done, or not done, to prevent brain cancer.

Largely, there is no known cause of brain cancer, but we do know there are risk factors, such as your genetic makeup or exposure to radiation.

Inheriting a gene which makes you more likely to develop brain cancer: it is estimated that an inherited gene accounts for one in 20 cases of brain tumours. Certain genetic conditions may also increase your risk of developing a low or high grade brain tumour.

Exposure to radiation: the risk of some brain tumour types (meningioma or glioma) is higher if you had radiotherapy to your head as a child, this is particularly the case if it occurred before the age of five.

Can brain cancer be cured?
Many people diagnosed with brain cancer will want to know if brain cancer be cured, however this can vary from person to person and type to type.

It is more likely that brain cancer will spread to other parts of the brain than a lower grade brain tumour and, despite successful treatment, brain cancer can often return.

However, this depends on a lot of factors such as the location of the tumour, its reaction to treatment, or the success of surgery and, to a certain extent, its molecular/genetic make-up. Your medical team will be best placed to advice you on your individual circumstances and prognosis.

Types of brain cancer
The most common type of primary brain cancer in adults is glioblastoma.

There are both primary and secondary types of glioblastoma. Primary glioblastoma originates in the brain and first appears as a grade 4 glioblastoma.

Secondary brain cancer
Often, secondary cancer refers to the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another, however a secondary glioblastoma still originates in the brain but has developed from a lower grade brain tumour type, known as an astrocytoma.

Brain Cancer Prognosis
The prognosis for brain cancer types varies from type to type and person to person and depends on a lot of factors, such as the location of the tumour, its reaction to treatments, or the success of surgery. Your medical team will be best placed to advice you based on your individual circumstances and your brain cancer diagnosis.

If you brain cancer type is classed as inoperable this means that your medical team may not be able to perform surgery for reasons such as the location of the tumour. For example if it is too close to vital structures of the brain, or because the cancer is not solid lump or mass and it is therefore difficult to identify the edges of the tumour. Operating in such circumstances could result in damage to healthy brain tissue and vital areas of the brain that control movement, sight or breathing.