OnCo
Living with cancer· Appointment prep

Appointment sheet: Papillary carcinoma of the gallbladder

One page to bring and write on: your details, the questions for Papillary carcinoma of the gallbladder plus your own, the words you may hear, what to bring, the treatments the standard of care names, and room for the answers and agreed next steps. What you type stays in this browser. Print it or save it as a PDF. New to all this? Start with the first 60 days. Orientation, not medical advice.

8 questions

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Your own questions

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Appointment sheet

Papillary carcinoma of the gallbladder

Prepared with OnCo (onco.cc/prep/gallbladder-papillary-carcinoma/). Orientation, not medical advice; your team knows your case.

My details

Name
Date of appointment
Hospital and clinician
Who is coming with me

What I know, what is unclear, changes to discuss

Saved in this browser
What I know so far
What is unclear to me
Changes since last time

My questions

8 on the sheet
Newly diagnosed
  1. 1.What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?
  2. 2.Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example Presence and depth of invasion in a papillary lesion, Gross mucin hypersecretion, Lymphovascular invasion and nodal status, Polyp size on ultrasound), and what were the results?
  3. 3.Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?
  4. 4.Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?
Polypoid lesion of 10 mm or more on ultrasound
  1. 5.For my situation (polypoid lesion of 10 mm or more on ultrasound), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
Invasive papillary carcinoma
  1. 6.For my situation (invasive papillary carcinoma), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
Any stage
  1. 7.Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?
  2. 8.What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?

The words I may hear

  • Gallbladder polyp (polypoid lesion): A small growth on the inside wall of the gallbladder, usually spotted by chance on an ultrasound scan.
  • Simple cholecystectomy: The standard operation to remove the gallbladder, almost always by keyhole surgery for gallstones.
  • Carcinoma in situ (CIS): Cancer cells that fill the lining layer where they started but have not broken through the basement membrane into the tissue beneath.
  • Radical (extended) cholecystectomy: The cancer operation for gallbladder cancer: the gallbladder (if still present) is removed together with a rim of the liver it sits against and the lymph nodes along the bile duct and liver blood vessels.

Tests and results to bring

Biomarker results to ask for: Presence and depth of invasion in a papillary lesion, Gross mucin hypersecretion (a feature of ICPN), Lymphovascular invasion and nodal status, Polyp size on ultrasound (10 mm threshold for cholecystectomy).

Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.

The treatments I may be offered

From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.

Answers and next steps

Saved in this browser
What I was told
Agreed next steps, dates and who to call