Gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer involving gastrointestinal tract, but it is themost common malignancy of the biliary tract, accounting for 80-95% of biliary tract cancers. This tumor isa highly lethal disease with an overall 5-year survival of less than 5% and mean survival mere than 6 months.An early diagnosis is essential as this malignancy progresses silently with a late diagnosis. The percentage ofpatients diagnosed to have gallbladder cancer after simple cholecystectomy for presumed gallbladder stonedisease is 0.5-1.5%. Patients with preoperative suspicion of gallbladder cancer should not be treated bylaparoscopy. Epidemiological studies have identified striking geographic and ethnic disparities—inordinatelyhigh occurrence in American Indians, elevated in Southeast Asia, yet quite low elsewhere in the Americas andthe world. Environmental triggers play a critical role in eliciting cancer developing in the gallbladder, bestexemplified by cholelithiasis and chronic inflammation from biliary tract and parasitic infections. Improvedimaging modalities and improved radical aggressive surgical approach in the last decade has improvedoutcomes and helped prolong survival in patients with gallbladder cancer. The overall 5-year survival forpatients with gallbladder cancer who underwent R0 curative resection was from 21% to 69%. In the future,the development of potential diagnostic markers for disease will yield screening opportunities for those atrisk either with ethnic susceptibility or known anatomic anomalies of the biliary tract.