**Abstract**

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common cancer of the biliary tract and has a particularly high incidence in Chile, Japan and northern India. The clinical presentation of GBC is often vague or delayed relative to pathologic progression, contributing to advanced staging and dismal prognosis at the time of diagnosis. In the diagnosis of GBC, differential diagnosis and determination of the local extension of tumor are important. For these purposes, imaging modalities such as endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), CT, MRI and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) are useful. The treatment of localized GBC is based on surgery. Chemotherapy has been used extensively in advanced GBC, and we have gained some experience with gemcitabine-based combination (with cisplatin and oxaliplatin or with capecitabine) regimens.

**Keywords:** gallbladder carcinoma, clinical presentation, treatment

#### **1. Introduction**

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are invasive adenocarcinomas that arise from the epithelial lining of the gallbladder and intrahepatic and extrahepatic (hilar and distal common bile duct) bile ducts. Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the extrahepatic bile ducts with high incidence in Japan, Chile and northern India [1]. The incidence of GBC steadily increases with age. Women are affected two to six times more often than men, with predominance in whites. Several risk factors are incriminated in the occurrence of this malignant tumor, and the main one is gallstone disease. The symptomatology is varied and nonspecific, dominated mainly by the pain of the right hypochondrium, which poses a problem of early diagnosis and management. The circumstances of discovery are multiple: preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative. GBC is characterized by local extension, regional lymph node metastases and distant metastases. Usually, GBC is the most aggressive of the biliary cancers with the shortest overall survival [1]. Complete surgical resection is the only chance for cure. However, only 10% of patients are considered surgical candidates [1]. Among patients who undergo curative resection, recurrence rates are high. Patients with unresectable or metastatic GBC have a very poor prognosis.
