Journal of surgical oncology
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The incidence of gallbladder cancer (GBC) in the US is 1.2/100,000. This report examines the patterns of presentation, adjuvant treatment and survival of a large cohort of patients with GBC evaluated at MSKCC over a 10-year period. ⋯ GBC is commonly diagnosed incidentally (47%). Re-exploration reveals a high incidence of residual disease (74%). Median survival is better for patients who have no evidence of disease on re-exploration (72 months) compared to those with residual disease detected (P < 0.0001). Overall prognosis is poor. Although we did not observe a survival benefit for those who received adjuvant therapy, the study did not have sufficient power to address this question. In addition, the number of patients who received adjuvant therapy was small with marked heterogeneity in clinical and therapeutic details, precluding any definitive conclusions being drawn. Prospective randomized trials of adjuvant therapy are needed in this disease.