Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Aug 22;14(8):e28260.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.28260. eCollection 2022 Aug.

A Review of the Etiology and Epidemiology of Gallbladder Cancer: What You Need to Know

Sattam A Halaseh  1 , Shahed Halaseh  2 , Raed Shakman  3
Affiliations
Review

A Review of the Etiology and Epidemiology of Gallbladder Cancer: What You Need to Know

Sattam A Halaseh et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the sixth most prevalent cancer of the gastrointestinal system but the most prevalent cancer of the biliary tract. This tumor is a highly fatal condition. The importance of early diagnosis cannot be overstated because GBC develops quietly with late detection. Several genetic and environmental variables have been associated with the onset of GBC. Cholelithiasis and chronic inflammation from the biliary tract and parasite infections are prime examples of environmental factors that significantly influence the development of GBC. Abnormal pancreaticobiliary duct junction and biliary cysts are examples of congenital causes. In the past decade, new imaging technologies and a more radical and aggressive surgical approach have improved patient outcomes and aided prolonged survival for GBC patients. This review article focuses on the epidemiology of GBC, its risk factors, and clinical characteristics.

Keywords: cancer epidemiology; cancer of gallbladder; etiology and pathogenesis; gallbladder diseases and gallstones; gallbladder polyp; gastrointestinal surgery.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Number of new cases of gallbladder cancer globally.
Available from Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. https://gco.iarc.fr/today.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Gallbladder cancer incidence according to gender.
Available from Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer. https://gco.iarc.fr/today.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gallbladder cancer in the twentieth century: single institution's experience. Grobmyer SR, Lieberman MD, Daly JM. World J Surg. 2004;28:47–49. - PubMed
    1. Gallbladder cancer: epidemiology and outcome. Hundal R, Shaffer EA. Clin Epidemiol. 2014;6:99–109. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gallbladder cancer: review of a rare orphan gastrointestinal cancer with a focus on populations of New Mexico. Nemunaitis JM, Brown-Glabeman U, Soares H, et al. BMC Cancer. 2018;18:665. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gallbladder cancer worldwide: geographical distribution and risk factors. Randi G, Franceschi S, La Vecchia C. Int J Cancer. 2006;118:1591–1602. - PubMed
    1. Risk factors for gallbladder cancer. An international collaborative case-control study. Strom BL, Soloway RD, Rios-Dalenz JL, et al. Cancer. 1995;76:1747–1756. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources