Gallbladder cancer risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vamsikrishna Gunnam M.B.B.S [2]

Overview[edit | edit source]

The most potent risk factor in the development of gallbladder carcinoma is gallstones. Other risk factors include Porcelain gallbladder, gallbladder polyps, Primary sclerosing cholangitis, chronic infection, pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and biliary cysts.

Risk factors[edit | edit source]

Common Risk Factors[edit | edit source]

• Common risk factors in the development of gallbladder cancer include:
  • Gallstones: Gallstones are found in 70 to 90 percent of patients with gallbladder cancer(GBC), With an 8.3x higher danger than the overall population.^[1][2]
  • Porcelain gallbladder:In 95 % of the cases, the porcelain gallbladder is associated with gallstones.The incidence of GBC in patients with a porcelain gallbladder levels about 2 to 3 percent..^[3]
  • Gallbladder polyps: Around 5% of all adults have gallbladder polyps.^[4]

• Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC): PSC is a chronic inflammatory disease and is associated with increased risk of gallbladder cancer(GBC).^[5]

• Cigarette smoking: cigarette smoking is one the important risk factor in causing gallbladder cancer.
• Chronic infection:
  • Helicobacter: Exact mechanism is poorly understood but it is thought that gallbladder cancer may be related to the bacterial-induced degradation of bile acids.
  • Liver flukes: Liver flukes especially Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini are related in the gallbladder cancer.^[6]
  • Salmonella: Several reports and a meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies advocate an association among chronic S. typhi carriage and increased hazard of GBC

Less common risk factors[edit | edit source]

Less common risk factors in the development of gallbladder carcinoma include:

• Pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM): PBM is due to failure of migration of embryological ducts into the duodenum.Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common malignancy seen in patients with a pancreaticobiliary maljunction problem.

• Congenital biliary cysts: Biliary cysts are cystic dilatations in the bile ducts.They were originally coined as choledochal cysts .Biliary cysts are more frequently seen in Asian populations. An abnormal pancreaticobiliary duct junction is present in approximately 70 percent of patients with biliary cysts.Particularly cholangiocarcinoma is associated with increased risk with biliary cysts.^[7][8][9]

References[edit | edit source]

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