Chemotherapy for gallbladder carcinoma--a surgeon's perspective

Surgery is the only curative treatment for gallbladder cancer. However, because of frequent local-regional and distant recurrences, radical surgery during advanced stages of the disease is often unsuccessful. Despite potential improvements in patient survival and quality of life, alternatives such as chemotherapeutic regimens have not been fully developed for treatment of gallbladder cancer. The present paper reviews current publications that deal exclusively with the use of chemotherapy for treatment of gallbladder cancer, with particular attention to adjuvant chemotherapy including postoperative and preoperative systemic or regional hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy. Treatment outcomes, including response rate, adverse effects, and survival are summarized.