Stage I Gallbladder Cancer: The Quiet Advance
The disease begins to step out of the shadows in Stage I. The progression, although still subtle, becomes more pronounced. Those sneaky cells are no longer just loitering; they’re on the move. In Stage IA, they push beyond the innermost lining, and by Stage IB, they dig their heels into the gallbladder’s connective tissue.
It’s at this point that the body starts sending out soft signals. What was earlier silent discomfort now gets a voice, albeit a faint one. Mild pain, often brushed aside as a minor tummy ache, emerges in the upper right abdomen. Some might even feel unusually full or bloated after a light meal, a sensation that wasn’t there before.
As the cancer cells become more deeply entrenched within the gallbladder’s structure, the body, ever the vigilant guardian, responds. Patients might find themselves grappling with occasional bouts of nausea, or even an unexpected episode of vomiting. The body’s way of saying, “Something’s not right”, these reactions are often dismissed as an off day or mild indigestion. (2)
