Staging for Gallbladder Cancer

Gallbladder cancer is generally discovered incidentally. It may be identified on imaging for other purposes, in the work-up of presumed benign gallbladder disease, intraoperatively, or on pathology analysis of a gallbladder specimen removed for benign disease. Regardless of the circumstances under which gallbladder cancer is identified, the first step in treatment is accurate staging. The staging of gallbladder cancer provides helpful guidance for prognostication and planning treatment approaches. The only potential for cure of gallbladder cancer is complete resection (R0), and so understanding the stage of the disease allows the treating team to plan the extent of resection or avoid a radical resection if a cure cannot be obtained due to advanced disease. Below, we will discuss the current staging paradigm and the critical studies to be obtained.