2019 Volume 33 Issue 2 Pages 234-243
Incidence of gallbladder cancer is gradually decreased worldwide. However, there are still a lot of patients who are diagnosed as having late stage disease. Several potential risk factors have been reported, such as regionality, ethnicity, sex, gallstones, bacterial infection, obesity, diabetes mellitus, pancreaticobiliary maljunction, adenomyomatosis, smoking, chemical agents, red pepper, heavy metal, etc. Regional distribution may be due to a combination of ethnicity, dietary habit, and living environment. Cholelithiasis is the most significant risk factor. Not only the size of stones and long-term duration of gallstones disease, but also so-called 'thrifty genes' polymorphism which associated with biosynthesis of biliary cholesterols may associate with high risk of gallbladder cancer. Clinical significance of prophylactic cholecystectomy in purpose of early detection and prophylaxis of gallbladder cancer in patients with multiple risk factors should be confirmed after further accumulation of studies.
