Definition

Stage III is divided into stages IIIA and IIIB, depending on where the cancer has spread. In stage IIIA, cancer has spread through the connective tissue layer of the gallbladder wall to (1) the serosa (layer of tissue that covers the gallbladder); and/or (2) the liver; and/or (3) one nearby organ or structure (such as the stomach, small intestine, colon, pancreas, or the bile ducts outside the liver). In stage IIIB, cancer has formed in the mucosa (innermost layer) of the gallbladder wall and may have spread to the muscle, connective tissue, or serosa and may have also spread to the liver or to one nearby organ or structure (such as the stomach, small intestine, colon, pancreas, or the bile ducts outside the liver). Cancer has spread to one to three nearby lymph nodes.