Gallbladder cancer: 7-Year experience from Qatar

Gallbladder cancer (GC) is a relatively rare disease. To date, there are no studies describing the epidemiology of this disease in Qatar.

To study the epidemiology of Gallbladder Cancer in Qatar.

A retrospective analysis of the cases of GC in Hamad General Hospital in Qatar from 2009 to 2016.

Thirty-five patients presented with GC during the study period, 10 females (28.6%) and 25 males (71.4%). Fourteen patients (40%) were diagnosed incidentally after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 16 (48.6%) were diagnosed pathologically, and 4 (11.4%) were diagnosed radiologically. The median age at diagnosis was 54 years (31-78). 74.3% of the disease occurred in patients less than 60 years old. Metastatic disease was discovered in 25 patients (71.4%) versus no metastasis in 10 patients (28.6%). The most common sites for metastasis were the liver (42.9%), peritoneum (25.7%), and lymph nodes (25.7%). Curative central hepatic resection was done in 8 patients (22.9%). Pathology showed adenocarcinoma in 27 patients (77.1%), neuroendocrine tumor in 3 patients (8.6%) and high-grade dysplasia in 1 patient (2.9%). No histopathology was available for 4 patients (11.4%). Twenty-eight patients (80.0%) had regular follow up, with 22 (62.9%) still alive. Six patients (17.1%) died during follow up with survival after diagnosis ranging from 42 days to 6.8 years.

In Qatar, due to the unique demographics, GC is more common in males and younger age groups. Most of the patients present late with metastasis, but curative resection is associated with long-term survival.