Gallbladder Cancer With Jaundice: Surgery Versus No Surgery

Background Patients with gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and jaundice have a poor prognosis. The surgical management of these patients is controversial. There is a dearth of studies comparing curative surgical resection (CR) versus non-curative resection/palliation (NCR) in patients with GBC and jaundice. Hence, this study aimed to compare the outcomes between CR and NCR in these patients. Methodology This was a retrospective study on patients with GBC and jaundice managed by a single surgical unit at a tertiary care center in northern India from May 2009 to March 2021. These patients were grouped into CR or NCR. The clinical demographical profile and overall survival (OS) were compared between the groups. Results A total of 82 patients with GBC and jaundice were managed during the study period. The final study cohort included 59 patients (CR, n = 34; NCR, n = 25) after excluding patients with metastatic disease (n = 23). Common bile duct infiltration was seen in 61.7% and 84% of CR and NCR patients, respectively (p = 0.062). The overall tumor-node-metastasis staging between the two groups was similar (p = 0.296). The median OS of CR was significantly better in CR than NCR (20 months vs. six months; p = 0.001). The median OS was better in CR than NCR patients who received systemic chemotherapy (22 vs. 12 months; p = 0.001) or did not receive chemotherapy (14 months vs. three months; p = 0.001). Conclusions Patients with GBC and jaundice have better significant survival after CR than NCR alone.