Gallbladder diagnosis, coupled with heart failure, will this affect outcome?

Hi Marks 122 

Welcome to our online community. Thank you for your questions about your mum. My name is Luzia and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line. 

It is a worrying time when people need further investigations and are facing a likely cancer diagnosis. We do not have access to anybody’s medical records and can therefore only give general information. What may help you is to make a list of questions to ask your healthcare team. 

We would always recommend getting back in touch with your mum’s consultant or a named nurse if she has been given the contact details of one at the hospital. As they are directly involved with her care, they will be able to make sure you are getting the most accurate information about what is happening just now. 

This includes the information from the letter that you have received. The medical terms can be confusing. For example, the blood changes mentioned can have several reasons such as inflammation, infection or for instance cancer. Sometimes CT scans can help give detail about what may be happening. 

The letter so far suggests that she likely has Gallbladder cancer (malignancy) from the results of the CT scan. There are signs that this has spread to the duodenum (small bowel) and may be affecting lymph nodes nearby (regionally) and in the pelvis area. 

Further tests such as a biopsy would give a more definite picture about what is happening. At that point there will be a MDT meeting where your mum’s case will be discussed. Then you will have an appointment with a consultant to get the official diagnosis with a plan forward for your mum. 

I am sorry to read that your mum also has stage 3/4 heart failure. We have information about cancer treatment and heart conditions. Whether any of the currently planned investigations such as biopsies would cause an issue would need to be explored by her consultant. Her heart condition will be considered at every step of investigations and the possible treatments. 

This must be a very difficult time for you as she is facing a likely cancer diagnosis. Please call one of our nurses directly if you want to talk over your situation. We may then be able to give you further information. 

Take care, 

Luzia 

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. If you think it may be useful to chat things over in real time, we have our webchat service available 7 days a week 8am-8pm. 

Ref: LzM/KA