Gallbladder Cancer: a Subtype of Biliary Tract Cancer Which is a Current Challenge in China

Abstract

Biliary tract cancers, broadly described as malignancies that arise from the biliary tract epithelia, areusually divided into two major clinical phenotypes: cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, differing inetiopathogenesis, risk factors, and perhaps molecular and genetic signatures. Atypical symptoms and lack oftumor biomarkers make it difficult to diagnose in early stages. At the time of presentation, few patients arecandidates for potentially curative surgical resection. We here assessed and compared features of a total of150 cases divided into extra- and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and gallbladder cancers (GBC). Althoughtthere were no significant differences in serum tumour marker levels, GBC patients had the poorest prognosis.Furthermore, gallbladder cancer respond poorly to chemotherapy or radiation therapy and approximately halfof untreated patients died within 10 months. Therefore, treatment for patients with gallbladder cancer is stillin challenge. Outcomes and survival of these patients had improved little over the past three decades - a periodin which new successful treatments have greatly contributed to the prolonged patient survival for many othercancers.