While gallbladder cancer survival rates paint a grim overall picture, the chance of beating this disease climbs dramatically from a bleak 2.4% to over 90% depending on one critical factor: catching it at an early, localized stage.
Key Takeaways
- The 5-year relative survival rate for gallbladder cancer in the US (2014-2020) is 19.1% overall
- The 5-year survival rate for localized gallbladder cancer is 66.6%
- Regional gallbladder cancer has a 5-year survival of 27.5% per SEER data (2014-2020)
- Localized stage 5-year survival 91% per SEER for gallbladder cancer (2014-2020)
- Regional stage gallbladder cancer 5-year survival 28.3% (SEER 2014-2020)
- Distant stage 5-year survival 3.0% for gallbladder cancer (SEER recent)
- Female patients under 65 have 25% higher 5-year survival than males in stage II
- Age >75 years reduces 5-year survival by 50% compared to <65 in gallbladder cancer
- Hispanic females have highest incidence but 22% 5-year survival vs 18% non-Hispanic whites
- Complete surgical resection improves 5-year survival from 10% to 65% in operable cases
- Adjuvant chemotherapy post-resection boosts 5-year survival by 15% in stage II
- Gemcitabine-cisplatin first-line for advanced: median OS 11.7 months vs 8.1 gem alone
- Incidence in Chile 22.5/100k females, 5-year survival 10%
- India Northeast: survival 5-10%, high incidence 20/100k
- Japan 5-year survival rose from 30% (1990s) to 40% (2010s)
Gallbladder cancer survival rates vary widely by stage and location at diagnosis.
Demographic Influences on Survival
- Female patients under 65 have 25% higher 5-year survival than males in stage II
- Age >75 years reduces 5-year survival by 50% compared to <65 in gallbladder cancer
- Hispanic females have highest incidence but 22% 5-year survival vs 18% non-Hispanic whites
- Black patients 5-year survival 14.5% vs 20% whites for gallbladder cancer
- Women have 5-year survival of 20.5% vs 16.8% in men (SEER)
- Patients 65-74 years: 5-year survival 15%, under 65: 35% for gallbladder cancer
- Asian/Pacific Islander 5-year survival 24% vs overall 19%
- Obesity (BMI>30) associated with 30% worse survival in gallbladder cancer
- Smokers have median survival 20% shorter than non-smokers
- Diabetic patients 5-year survival 12% lower than non-diabetics
- Rural residents survival 10% lower due to late diagnosis
- Low SES quintile: 5-year survival 14% vs 25% high SES
- Married patients 15% better 5-year survival than unmarried
- Comorbid heart disease reduces survival by 25%
- Alcohol consumers >20g/day have 18% lower survival rates
- Younger patients (<50) stage I survival near 100%, elderly <20%
- Male gender HR 1.3 for mortality in multivariate analysis
- Native American ethnicity highest mortality, 5-year survival 10%
- Education level >college: 22% survival vs <high school 11%
- Postmenopausal women on HRT have 10% better survival
- BMI 25-30 intermediate survival, obese worst outcomes
- Insurance status: uninsured 5-year survival 8% vs insured 21%
- Veterans have 12% lower survival due to comorbidities
- Immigrants from high-incidence areas survival 15% worse
- Pregnancy-associated diagnosis survival 30% lower
- Hyperlipidemia patients 20% shorter median survival
- Physical activity >150min/week improves survival by 15%
- Family history of cancer no significant survival impact
- Surgical resection in elderly >80: 5-year survival 10% if fit
- Gender disparity widens in advanced stages: males 5% survival vs females 8%
Demographic Influences on Survival Interpretation
While gallbladder cancer ruthlessly highlights healthcare inequities, your survival odds appear to be a morbid calculus of your age, gender, wallet, zip code, and lifestyle, proving that privilege, ironically, can be a matter of life and death.
Geographic and Temporal Trends
- Incidence in Chile 22.5/100k females, 5-year survival 10%
- India Northeast: survival 5-10%, high incidence 20/100k
- Japan 5-year survival rose from 30% (1990s) to 40% (2010s)
- US Southwest Hispanics survival 18% vs national 19%
- Korea survival improved 25% to 30% 2010-2020
- Europe low incidence 1-2/100k, survival 12-15%
- Bolivia high incidence 15/100k, survival <5%
- Australia urban survival 20% vs rural 14%
- Thailand survival 15%, incidence rising 2%/year
- Pakistan Karachi: median survival 4 months
- Sweden registry: survival stable 18% 2000-2015
- China Shanghai: 5-year 25%, improving with screening
- UK survival increased 2% per decade to 12%
- Egypt Nile delta: survival 8%, gallstones link strong
- Poland incidence rising, survival 10%
- Taiwan survival 27%, stable 2000-2010
- Canada Ontario: 16% survival, urban better
- Mexico survival 9% in indigenous areas
- Singapore improving to 32% with early detection
- New Zealand Maori survival 12% vs others 18%
- Global trend: survival up 5% 1990-2020 in high-resource countries
- Korea Jeju island low incidence, survival 35%
- US temporal: 5-year from 13% (1990s) to 19% (2020)
- Japan temporal improvement due to surgery advances, 10% gain
- India temporal stable low survival despite incidence drop
- Europe RARECARE3: survival 10.3% 2010-2014
Geographic and Temporal Trends Interpretation
This bleak collection of numbers reveals a stark and stubborn truth: our chances against gallbladder cancer depend far more on our zip code than on our biology, with improvements occurring at a pace that could charitably be called geological.
Overall Survival Statistics
- The 5-year relative survival rate for gallbladder cancer in the US (2014-2020) is 19.1% overall
- The 5-year survival rate for localized gallbladder cancer is 66.6%
- Regional gallbladder cancer has a 5-year survival of 27.5% per SEER data (2014-2020)
- Distant metastatic gallbladder cancer shows 2.4% 5-year survival (SEER 2014-2020)
- Median survival for all stages of gallbladder cancer is 8 months based on recent US cohorts
- 1-year survival rate for gallbladder cancer patients diagnosed in 2015-2019 is approximately 42%
- Overall 3-year survival for gallbladder cancer in Europe averages 15-20%
- US gallbladder cancer 10-year survival rate is 10.2% per SEER
- Age-adjusted 5-year survival for gallbladder cancer improved from 16.7% (2000-2004) to 19.1% (2014-2020)
- In a meta-analysis, pooled 5-year survival for gallbladder cancer is 13.4%
- Korean national data shows 5-year survival of 29.8% for gallbladder cancer (2014-2018)
- Japanese registry reports 5-year survival of 40.4% for gallbladder cancer
- Global average 5-year survival for gallbladder cancer is under 5% in advanced stages
- UK NCRAS data: 1-year survival 35%, 5-year 12% for gallbladder cancer
- Indian study: 5-year survival 10-15% for gallbladder cancer patients
- Brazilian cohort: median survival 6.7 months for gallbladder cancer
- Australian data: 5-year survival 18% for gallbladder cancer (2010-2014)
- Canadian 5-year net survival for gallbladder cancer is 16%
- SEER data shows 2-year survival of 35% for gallbladder cancer overall
- European RARECARE project: 5-year survival 9.5% for gallbladder cancer
- Taiwanese registry: 5-year survival 27.3% for gallbladder cancer (2007-2011)
- Chilean study: 5-year survival 13% for gallbladder cancer in high-incidence area
- SEER 2017-2021 update: overall 5-year survival stable at 19%
- Meta-analysis of 20 studies: 1-year survival 50.2% for gallbladder cancer
- Polish registry: 5-year survival 10.2% for gallbladder cancer
- Singapore data: 5-year survival 32.1% for gallbladder cancer
- Egyptian study: median survival 4 months for advanced gallbladder cancer
- Mexican cohort: 5-year survival 8% in endemic regions
- Israeli data: 5-year survival 25% for gallbladder cancer patients
- New Zealand registry: 5-year survival 15.5% for gallbladder cancer
Overall Survival Statistics Interpretation
Gallbladder cancer's grim statistics reveal a stark truth: catching it early offers a fighting chance, but once it spreads, the outlook plummets, underscoring the urgent need for better detection and treatment.
Stage-Based Survival Rates
- Localized stage 5-year survival 91% per SEER for gallbladder cancer (2014-2020)
- Regional stage gallbladder cancer 5-year survival 28.3% (SEER 2014-2020)
- Distant stage 5-year survival 3.0% for gallbladder cancer (SEER recent)
- Stage I gallbladder cancer 5-year survival >90% with surgery
- Stage II: 5-year survival 60-70% post-resection
- Stage IIIA gallbladder cancer 5-year survival ~35%
- Stage IIIB: 5-year survival drops to 25%
- Stage IVA gallbladder cancer median survival 12 months
- Stage IVB: <5% 1-year survival for gallbladder cancer
- T1N0M0 (stage IA) 5-year survival 100% in Japanese series
- T2N0M0 (stage IB) 5-year survival 80-90%
- T3N0M0 (stage IIA) survival 50-60% post-resection
- T1-2N1M0 (stage IIIA) 5-year 40%
- T3N1M0 (IIIB) 5-year survival 30%
- T4N0-1M0 (IIIA/IVA) median survival 10 months
- Any T any N M1 (IVB) 2-year survival 5%
- Incidental stage I gallbladder cancer post-cholecystectomy: 95% 5-year survival
- Unresectable stage III/IV: median survival 6 months
- AJCC 8th edition stage IB 5-year survival 85%
- Stage IIB (T3N0) 5-year survival 65% with adjuvant therapy
- Metastatic gallbladder cancer median OS 4.5 months without treatment
- Early stage (0-II) 5-year survival 75% in resectable cases
- Advanced stage (III-IV) 1-year survival 20%
- T4 disease 5-year survival <10%
- N1 nodal involvement reduces 5-year survival by 40%
- M1 survival at 6 months is 25% in palliative care cohorts
- Stage-adjusted survival in Korea: stage I 95%, II 70%, III 30%, IV 5%
- SEER stage unknown 5-year survival 15%
- Lymph node positive stage II drops survival to 50%
- Peritoneal carcinomatosis stage IV median survival 3 months
- Liver metastasis only (stage IV) 6-month survival 40%
Stage-Based Survival Rates Interpretation
Gallbladder cancer is a grim lesson in geography: if the malignancy stays home, you have an excellent chance of evicting it, but once it starts traveling to the lymph nodes or beyond, the prognosis plummets from a hopeful 91% to a desperate single digit.
Treatment-Related Survival Outcomes
- Complete surgical resection improves 5-year survival from 10% to 65% in operable cases
- Adjuvant chemotherapy post-resection boosts 5-year survival by 15% in stage II
- Gemcitabine-cisplatin first-line for advanced: median OS 11.7 months vs 8.1 gem alone
- Radical cholecystectomy R0: 5-year survival 68% vs palliative 20%
- Neoadjuvant therapy in borderline resectable: 40% downstaging, survival 24 months median
- Radiation therapy adjuvant: HR 0.75 for recurrence-free survival
- Capecitabine adjuvant in high-risk: 5-year OS 65% vs 55% observation
- Liver transplant rare: 5-year survival 70% in selected cases
- Targeted therapy HER2+: median PFS 4.6 months
- Immunotherapy pembrolizumab MSI-high: 30% response rate, OS 14 months
- Palliative stenting biliary obstruction: survival extension 3 months
- HIPEC for peritoneal disease: median survival 12 months vs 6 systemic
- Nab-paclitaxel + gemcitabine: OS 12.7 months in metastatic
- PORT (post-op RT): 2-year survival 50% vs 30% no RT in margins+
- FGFR inhibitors in fusions: response 40%, PFS 6 months
- Simple cholecystectomy stage I: 90% survival vs radical 95%
- Systemic therapy alone advanced: median OS 8 months
- Chemoradiation neoadjuvant: resectability 30%, survival 28 months
- Best supportive care: median survival 2.5 months
- IDH1 inhibitors: OS improvement 5 months in trials
- Lymphadenectomy extent >6 nodes: survival benefit 10%
- Second-line FOLFOX: OS 6.2 months post-gem/cis
- SBRT for unresectable: local control 80%, median OS 15 months
- Anti-VEGF ramucirumab: PFS 2.8 months in phase II
- R1 resection survival 40% vs R0 70% at 3 years
- Clinical trials participation: 20% better survival outcomes
- Biliary drainage pre-chemo: survival +2 months
- Nivolumab + ipi: ORR 23% in MSI-high
- Extended hepatectomy: 5-year 50% if R0
- 5-FU based adjuvant: DFS improvement 12 months
Treatment-Related Survival Outcomes Interpretation
When facing gallbladder cancer, a surgeon's knife can be the most powerful drug, turning a bleak 10% survival chance into a fighting 65%, but it's the stubborn layering of chemotherapy, radiation, and relentless research on top of that cut that slowly builds a few more months and percentages into a life.
Sources & References
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- Reference 3CANCERcancer.orgVisit source
- Reference 4PUBMEDpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 5WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 6NCINncin.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 7AIHWaihw.gov.auVisit source
- Reference 8CANCERcancer.caVisit source
- Reference 9NRDOnrdo.gov.sgVisit source
- Reference 10HEALTHhealth.govt.nzVisit source
- Reference 11NEJMnejm.orgVisit source
- Reference 12RMHrmh.nenc-ucl.ac.ukVisit source