Resectability and prognosis of gallbladder cancer: a cross-sectional study of 100 cases from a tertiary care centre of Eastern Nepal

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the fifth most common neoplasm of the digestive tract and has an overall incidence of 3 per 100 000 people. Only 15–47% of the preoperatively known GBC are suitable for resection. The objective of the study was to investigate the resectability and prognosis of GBC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It is a prospective observational study including all cases of primary cancers of the gallbladder in the Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at a tertiary care center over the period from January 2014 to December 2019. The primary endpoint was resectability and overall survival. RESULTS: During the study period, 100 patients with GBC were reported. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 52.5 years, with a female predominance (67%). The curative intent resection (radical cholecystectomy) was possible in 30 (30%) patients; while 18 (18%) required palliative surgical treatment. The overall survival of the entire group was 9 months; while those patients who underwent surgery with curative intent had a median overall survival of 28 months after a median follow-up of 42 months. CONCLUSION: This study found that only one-third of patients achieve radical surgery with curative intent. Overall, the prognosis of patients is poor with a median survival of less than a year due to the advanced stage disease. Multimodality treatment, screening ultrasound, and neo-/adjuvant therapy may improve survival.