Analysis of mortality rates for gallbladder cancer across the world

Ethnic background and geographical location are important when measuring the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma leading to variable mortality rates across the world.

Age standardized mortality rates [ASR(W)] were extracted separately for males and females from a database maintained by the International Agency for Research on Cancer for 50 countries across the world (Europe 32; the Americas 8; and Asia 10) for the period 1992-2002 and log-linear regression was performed to analyse trends in the last decade.

In the period 1992-2002, declining trends in mortality for both sexes were observed in Germany, Sweden, Japan, USA, and Hungary (p<0.001), and in France, Canada, United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Hong Kong (p<0.01). Austria, Czechoslovakia, Slovenia, Denmark, Spain, and Israel exhibited decreasing mortality trends more significant in women (p<0.01) than in men (p<0.05). Decreasing female mortality trends were seen in Finland, Italy, and Portugal (p<0.01) and in Georgia, Luxembourg, and Belgium (p<0.05). Iceland, Costa Rica, and Korea were the only countries with an increase in male mortality (p<0.05).

Overall, there was a decline in ASR(W) for gallbladder cancer. Better diagnostic modalities resulting in appropriate staging of gallbladder/biliary cancers, as well as changes in the ICD classification and perhaps increased awareness, may have contributed to these trends.