Gallbladder cancer epidemiology, treatment and survival in Southern Finland - a population-based study

Introduction Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare malignancy in Western population with poor prognosis. This study aimed to investigate the trends in GBC incidence, treatment pattern, and survival in Finland. Methods Patients diagnosed with primary GBC in a geographically defined area (Southern Finland Regional Cancer Center) during 2006-2017 were identified. Results Final cohort included 270 patients with GBC. The incidence was 1.32/100,000 persons, and it decreased 6.8 cases per million personyears during the study period. One hundred fifty-one (56%) patients were diagnosed at Stage IV. Fifty-one patients (19%) underwent curative-intent resection with 96% R0-resection rate. The median overall survival was 7.1 months and 5-year overall survival 11.6% for all patients, and 67.7 months and 56.8% after curative-intent resection, respectively. No improvement was noted over time in overall survival in patients with GBC, or in subgroups of different stages of GBC. Conclusions The incidence of GBC is slightly decreasing in Southern Finland, but survival has not improved over time.