There are known risk factors for both gallbladder and bile duct cancers.
According to the Mayo Clinic, gallstones — solid deposits of cholesterol or calcium salts that form in your gallbladder — are the single greatest risk factor for gallbladder cancer. Other risk factors include:
- Age
- Sex
- Bile duct abnormalities
- Gallbladder polyps
- Cigarette smoke
- Hazardous chemicals (especially asbestos and azotoluene, an industrial chemical)
- Obesity
- Race (in this case there appears to be a biological marker, but cultural factors still play an important role; please see our discussion on Race as a Risk Factor
Risk factors for bile duct cancer include:
- Age
- Sex
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
- Ulcerative colitis
- Congenital abnormalities of the bile ducts
- Bile duct stones
- Parasitic infections
- Exposure to toxic materials (such as dioxin*, nitrosamines and polychlorinated biphenyls or "PCBs"**)
[Editor's Note: *Dioxin is an unintentional byproduct of medical waste incineration and the manufacture of plastics and chlorinated pesticide, and has been identified as a human carcinogen by the EPA.]
[Editor's Note: ** PCBs were used in a number of industrial materials manufactured before 1980. Because PCBs don't break down easily, they're still found worldwide in the air, water, soil and especially in fish.
Also implicated in bile duct cancers are nitrosamines, a group of carcinogenic chemicals found in products ranging from tobacco leaves to cured meats.]
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