What are survival rates for gallbladder cancer?

Answer

Of all those people diagnosed with cancer of the gallbladder fewer than 1 in 20 people (5%) will be alive 5 years later.

Stage 0 and 1 If you have such an early stage of cancer of the gallbladder, you are most likely to have a simple cholecystectomy. About 60 out of every 100 people (60%) diagnosed with stage 0 disease and 50 out of every 100 people (50%) diagnosed with stage 1 gallbladder cancer will live for at least 5 years after this operation.

Some surgeons believe that taking out nearby lymph nodes and some liver tissue during the operation helps stop the cancer returning. They believe this will improve the long term outcome for people with stage 1 gallbladder cancer. This operation is called an extended cholecystectomy. In some countries (such as Japan, where incidence rates for gallbladder cancer are higher than the UK or USA) this operation is standard treatment for stage 1 gallbladder cancer. The 5 year survival rates for stage 1 gallbladder cancer are better in Japan. Between 70 and 80 out of every 100 people (70 - 80%) diagnosed with stage 1 gallbladder cancer in Japan will survive 5 years or longer after an extended cholecystectomy.

Stage 2 Fewer than 20 out of every 100 people (20%) will survive 5 years or longer with stage 2 gallbladder cancer . If you have an extended cholecystectomy or more extensive surgery, then you may have a slightly better chance than this.

Stage 3 As you might expect, the survival statistics fall as the stage of gallbladder cancer goes up. About 5 out of every 100 people (5%) diagnosed with stage 3 gallbladder cancer live for at least 5 years. For people whose cancer is too far advanced for surgery when they are diagnosed, the average survival time is about 6 months but some may live for up to 2 years.

Stage 4 Unfortunately most people diagnosed have stage 4 gallbladder cancer, so their cancer has already spread. Understandably, the survival statistics are lower than for stage 3 gallbladder cancers. Doctors generally think a patient is doing very well if they are still alive 2 years after being diagnosed with gallbladder cancer that has spread. Fewer than 2 out of every 100 people (2%) diagnosed with stage 4 gallbladder cancer live for 5 years or more.

How reliable are cancer statistics? No statistics can tell you what will happen to you. Your cancer is unique. The same type of cancer can grow at different rates in different people for example.

The statistics are not detailed enough to tell you about the different treatments people may have had. And how that treatment may have affected their prognosis. There are many individual factors that will determine your treatment and prognosis.