Gallbladder cancer
Survival depends on different factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.
Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Because this cancer is less common, survival is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.
Some of the statistics have to be based on a small number of people. Remember, they can't tell you what will happen in your individual case.
The terms 1 year survival and 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 5 years.
The NHS, other health organisations, and researchers collect information. They record what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.
5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.
There are no UK wide statistics available for gallbladder cancer survival by stage.
The statistics below come from America. They come from the National Cancer Institute's SEER programme. They are for people diagnosed with gallbladder cancer between 2013 and 2019.
Please be aware that these figures might not be a true picture of survival in the UK. This is due to differences in the American health care systems, population, and data collection.
The American statistics are split into 3 stage groups – localised, regional and distant cancers. In the UK, your doctor might not use these terms. Instead, they might describe your cancer as a number stage (stage 1 to 4). The following descriptions are a guide to help you understand whether your cancer is localised, regional or distant. This isn’t straight forward and will depend on your individual situation. Talk to your specialist if you are unsure which group you are in.
Localised - usually includes stage 1 and stage 2 cancers which haven’t spread outside the gallbladder.
Regional - usually includes stage 3 cancers that have spread outside the gallbladder into surrounding tissues or lymph nodes.
Distant – includes stage 4 cancers that have spread to other parts of the body, away from the gallbladder.
More than 65 out of 100 people (more than 65%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Almost 30 out of 100 people (almost 30%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Almost 5 out of 100 people (almost 5%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Survival for gallbladder cancer depends on how advanced the cancer is when it is diagnosed (the stage of the cancer). Unfortunately gallbladder cancer is often diagnosed in the later stages when treatment is unlikely to cure it.
Generally, for people with gallbladder cancer in England:
around 30 out of 100 people (around 30%) survive gallbladder cancer for at least 1 year
more than 10 out of 100 people (more than 10%) survive gallbladder cancer for at least 5 years
Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread.
It also depends on where the cancer is growing, and whether you can have surgery to completely remove it.
Your general health and fitness also affect survival. This is because the fitter you are, the better you may be able to cope with your cancer and treatment.
Find out about the treatment options for gallbladder cancer
For more in-depth information about survival and gallbladder, go to our cancer statistics section.
Find more gallbladder cancer statistics
Taking part in clinical trials can help to improve the outlook for people with gallbladder cancer.
Last reviewed: 18 Aug 2023
Next review due: 18 Aug 2026
The symptoms of gallbladder cancer include tummy pain, feeling sick, yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) or an enlarged gallbladder.
The stage of a cancer tells you how big it is and whether it has spread. The grade means how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope.
The treatment you might have depends on the size and type of your gallbladder cancer and whether it has spread.
The type of cancer tells you which type of cell it started in. There are several types of gallbladder cancer.
You usually start by seeing your GP. They might refer you for tests or to a specialist if you have symptoms that could be caused by gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder cancer is when abnormal cells in the gallbladder start to divide and grow in an uncontrolled way.
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