Fourteen year surgical experience of gallbladder cancer: validity of curative resection affecting survival.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early diagnosis and R0 resection of gallbladder cancer offer a chance for cure. The aims of this retrospective study were to determine the clinicopathologic prognostic factors affecting survival and recurrence. METHODOLOGY: Between 1995 and 2008, a total of 69 patients with gallbladder cancer who underwent surgical exploration or resection were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 69 patients, 34 achieved R0 resection (49.3%). The overall survival rates were 36.6% at 3 years and 24.4 % at 5 years. Multivariate analysis for overall survival demonstrated that non-R0 resection, lymph node dissection, infiltrative tumors, moderate to poor differentiation and depth of invasion were significant independent predictors of poor prognosis. Recurrence occurred in 21 patients. The seventh edition of American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system provided relatively better prediction of survival in patients with gallbladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: R0 resection and lymph node dissection is an important surgical strategy to improve overall survival. Infiltrative tumor was an independent prognostic factor for disease free survival.