Gallbladder cancer at a tertiary referral hospital in Peru: characteristics and outcomes in 20 years’ experience

Objective: Gallbladder cancer is a relatively uncommon neoplasm of the biliary system, characterized by a notably high mortality rate. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) in Peruvian patients undergoing surgery for gallbladder cancer. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with gallbladder carcinoma who underwent surgery at the Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas between 2000 and 2020. OS was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and prognostic factors were identified using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results: A total of 64 patients were included. The median age was 62 years, and 75% were female. Most patients were diagnosed at stage T3 (37.5%), and 25% had M1 stage disease. Additionally, 51.6% of tumors were moderately differentiated, and 71.9% were of the adenocarcinoma histologic subtype. With a median follow-up of 70 months, the 3-year OS rate was 45%. Independent prognostic factors for OS included AJCC stage, high histological grade (vs. well/moderately differentiated; HR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.06–6.63), and histologic subtype other than adenocarcinoma (HR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.21–7.99). Conclusions: Prognostic factors associated with worse OS in Peruvian patients with gallbladder cancer undergoing surgery include AJCC stage, poorly differentiated histological grade, and histologic subtypes other than adenocarcinoma.