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Below, week by week, is what OnCo's record of Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder says about the first two months: the order is typical, the timing is yours to ask about. Neuroendocrine carcinoma is a rare, fast-growing form of gallbladder cancer made of small cell or large cell hormone-type cells, often mixed with ordinary adenocarcinoma. It is usually advanced when found and median survival in the largest series was six to seven months. It is treated like other high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas rather than like gallbladder adenocarcinoma. Sections appear only where the record has something to say. Orientation, not medical advice.
Staging tests establish exactly what and where the cancer is. Everything else follows from the answers.
Ask which of these were tested and what the results were; see the report reader for what each value means.
These specialties appear in the standard of care for this cancer. In most centres they meet weekly as a tumour board to agree each plan; you can ask when yours was discussed and what was decided.
A second opinion from a centre that treats many similar cases is normal, not rude; the standard of care tells you what to compare it against.
Each row is a setting from the standard of care, in the order it usually arises. Not all will apply to you; your stage and biomarkers decide which do. The guideline grade, where recorded, says how strong the evidence is.
Resection as for gallbladder cancer where feasible; surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy were each associated with better survival in population data.
Platinum and etoposide chemotherapy as for other extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas, rather than the gemcitabine and cisplatin used for adenocarcinoma.
Generated from this cancer's standard of care, biomarkers and open problems. Take the group that matches where you are. To tick, add your own and print, open the one-page appointment sheet.
Much of what helps in the first weeks is free if you know to ask: testing, helplines, rides and lodging, second opinions, trial travel.
Every term links to the glossary.