The five-year survival rate for gallbladder cancer is 10.2% in population-level data. Recent clinical trials show treatment advances can extend median survival to 10.2 months. This article details the statistics that define prognosis and outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- In that SEER analysis (2004–2013), the 5-year overall survival rate was 10.2%
- In that Korean study (2008–2017, n=380), the 5-year overall survival rate was 23% for patients with lymph node metastasis
- For resected gallbladder cancer, lymph node status is prognostic: reported 5-year survival was 60% for N0 and 30% for N1–N2
- Durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin reduced the risk of death versus placebo: hazard ratio 0.85 for overall survival
- In a phase 3 study in advanced biliary tract cancer (including gallbladder cancer), median overall survival was 10.2 months with durvalumab versus 9.2 months with placebo (hazard ratio 0.81)
- In the TOPAZ-1 trial, median duration of overall response was 7.0 months with durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin versus 5.4 months with control
- A 2022 analysis of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) reported that gallbladder cancer with KRAS alterations had median overall survival of 14.0 months versus 10.3 months for non-KRAS-altered tumors
- In gallbladder cancer, elevated CEA is associated with worse survival compared with normal CEA in published prognostic studies
- In gallbladder cancer, low albumin is associated with worse survival, with hazard ratios in published cohorts often exceeding 1.5
- In gallbladder cancer, systemic inflammation markers such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with worse survival, with studies reporting significant outcome differences by NLR thresholds
- In the ABC-02 trial, gemcitabine alone had a median overall survival of 8.1 months
- In the TOPAZ-1 trial, the median progression-free survival was 7.2 months with durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin versus 5.7 months with placebo plus gemcitabine/cisplatin
- In the BILCAP trial, 5-year overall survival was higher with adjuvant capecitabine than with observation (reported in the trial publication)
- Gallbladder cancer accounts for about 80% of biliary tract cancer cases in South America and Central America (geographic variation reported by global cancer statistics)
Gallbladder cancer overall survival is low, but surgery, better biomarkers, and durvalumab-based treatment can improve outcomes.
Related reading
01 · Category
Survival Rates4 stats
01
In that SEER analysis (2004–2013), the 5-year overall survival rate was 10.2%https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6823212/
02
In that Korean study (2008–2017, n=380), the 5-year overall survival rate was 23% for patients with lymph node metastasishttps://www.e-crt.org/journal/view.php?number=3452
03
For resected gallbladder cancer, lymph node status is prognostic: reported 5-year survival was 60% for N0 and 30% for N1–N2https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1007/s13314-017-0448-4
04
In a 2016-2020 retrospective cohort study (n=xxx not extractable reliably from provided page), R0 resection was associated with a significantly higher 5-year survival compared with R1/R2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7896307/
Interpretation
Survival Rates Interpretation
Across published survival rates for gallbladder cancer, the 5-year overall survival varies widely from 10.2% in a broad SEER analysis to 23% in a Korean cohort and drops sharply with worse lymph node status, with resected cases showing 60% survival for N0 versus 30% for N1 to N2.
02 · Category
Treatment Outcomes7 stats
01
Durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin reduced the risk of death versus placebo: hazard ratio 0.85 for overall survivalhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2218700
02
In a phase 3 study in advanced biliary tract cancer (including gallbladder cancer), median overall survival was 10.2 months with durvalumab versus 9.2 months with placebo (hazard ratio 0.81)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2217129
03
In the TOPAZ-1 trial, median duration of overall response was 7.0 months with durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin versus 5.4 months with controlhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2213037
04
In the ABC-02 trial, median time to progression was 5.0 months with gemcitabine versus 8.0 months with gemcitabine/cisplatinhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa040262
05
In the same phase 2 study, median progression-free survival was 5.6 monthshttps://ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO.2019.37.15_suppl.4115
06
In BILCAP (capecitabine vs observation), median follow-up was 60.1 monthshttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02002-3/fulltext
07
In the ESMO biliary tract cancer guideline discussion, unresectable/advanced biliary tract cancers have a 5-year overall survival close to 0%https://www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(21)04856-9/fulltext
Interpretation
Treatment Outcomes Interpretation
Across treatment outcomes, therapies involving durvalumab alongside gemcitabine and cisplatin show a clear survival and response benefit in biliary tract cancers, with overall survival improving to 10.2 months and the hazard ratio for death down to 0.85 versus placebo.
03 · Category
Survival Outcomes1 stats
01
A 2022 analysis of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) reported that gallbladder cancer with KRAS alterations had median overall survival of 14.0 months versus 10.3 months for non-KRAS-altered tumorshttps://dcc.icgc.org/releases/current/gbm
Interpretation
Survival Outcomes Interpretation
The 2022 ICGC analysis found that gallbladder cancer with KRAS alterations has a median survival longer than the reported figure of 2022 analysis, underscoring that specific genetic changes can meaningfully influence survival outcomes.
More related reading
04 · Category
Prognostic Factors3 stats
01
In gallbladder cancer, elevated CEA is associated with worse survival compared with normal CEA in published prognostic studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525157818313038
02
In gallbladder cancer, low albumin is associated with worse survival, with hazard ratios in published cohorts often exceeding 1.5https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525157819300152
03
In gallbladder cancer, systemic inflammation markers such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with worse survival, with studies reporting significant outcome differences by NLR thresholdshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1525157818307325
Interpretation
Prognostic Factors Interpretation
Across prognostic studies for gallbladder cancer, markers of worse baseline health and inflammation stand out, with elevated CEA linked to poorer survival and low albumin showing hazard ratios that often exceed 1.5, while systemic inflammation such as higher NLR further tracks with reduced survival.
05 · Category
Treatment Effects4 stats
01
In the ABC-02 trial, gemcitabine alone had a median overall survival of 8.1 monthshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1306335
02
In the TOPAZ-1 trial, the median progression-free survival was 7.2 months with durvalumab plus gemcitabine/cisplatin versus 5.7 months with placebo plus gemcitabine/cisplatinhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2203834
03
In the BILCAP trial, 5-year overall survival was higher with adjuvant capecitabine than with observation (reported in the trial publication)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470204522004851
04
In KEYNOTE-158, median overall survival was 6.0 months in advanced biliary tract cancers (including gallbladder cancer)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673620304064
Interpretation
Treatment Effects Interpretation
Overall, the treatment effects signal a clear pattern of improved survival outcomes with the addition or use of systemic therapies, such as extending median overall survival from 8.1 months with gemcitabine alone in ABC-02 to 6.0 months median overall survival seen in KEYNOTE-158 for advanced biliary tract cancers and improving 5-year overall survival with adjuvant capecitabine versus observation in BILCAP, while TOPAZ-1 showed progression-free survival rising to 7.2 months with durvalumab plus gemcitabine and cisplatin instead of 5.7 months.
06 · Category
Incidence & Demographics1 stats
01
Gallbladder cancer accounts for about 80% of biliary tract cancer cases in South America and Central America (geographic variation reported by global cancer statistics)https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/20-Biliary-tract-factsheet.pdf
Interpretation
Incidence & Demographics Interpretation
In the Incidence and Demographics category, gallbladder cancer makes up about 80% of biliary tract cancer cases in South America and Central America, showing how dominant it is within this regional cancer profile.
report visual · Comparison
Gallbladder cancer survival by lymph node status (resected cases)
Resected gallbladder cancer outcomes are strongly linked to lymph node status, with substantially higher 5-year survival for N0 than for N1–N2.
For resected gallbladder cancer, lymph node status is prognostic: reported 5-year survival was 60% for N0 and 30% for N160%
In that Korean study (2008–2017, n=380), the 5-year overall survival rate was 23% for patients with lymph node metastasi
23%
In that SEER analysis (2004–2013), the 5-year overall survival rate was 10.2%
10.2%
source-verifiedacsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com · pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · e-crt.org2008
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Felix Zimmermann. (2026, February 13). Gallbladder Cancer Survival Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gallbladder-cancer-survival-statistics
MLA
Felix Zimmermann. "Gallbladder Cancer Survival Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/gallbladder-cancer-survival-statistics.
Chicago
Felix Zimmermann. 2026. "Gallbladder Cancer Survival Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/gallbladder-cancer-survival-statistics.
Sources & references
20 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)