February is Gallbladder Cancer and Bile Duct Cancer Awareness Month

Join with the AACR to find better ways to prevent and treat gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer.

Gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer are relatively rare forms of cancer with an estimated 12,350 cases of both types combined diagnosed in 2024, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Further, the NCI estimated that about 4,530 people would die from these cancers in 2024.  

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ in the abdomen, below the liver. It collects and stores bile—a fluid made by the liver to aid with digestion of fats. The bile ducts are thin tube-like vessels that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine.

Bile duct cancer, also called cholangiocarcinoma, can either form in the ducts on the outside or inside of the liver. While both instances are rare, only a small number of cases form in the bile ducts within the liver, which is called intrahepatic bile duct cancer. When it forms on the outside of the liver it is called extrahepatic bile duct cancer. 

Symptoms of both gallbladder and bile duct cancer include yellowing of the skin and/or the whites of the eyes (jaundice), abdominal pain, fever, and nausea and vomiting. Other symptoms of bile duct cancer include dark urine, clay colored stool, itchy skin, and weight loss.

Cancer of the gallbladder is one of the 15 forms of cancer that have been linked to being overweight or obese, according to the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2024.

Disparities exist in the rates at which these cancers occur among minority populations. For example, Hispanic men and women are more than twice as likely as white men and women to be diagnosed with gallbladder cancer. Rates are also higher among Native American and Asian-Pacific Islander groups than among whites, according to the AACR Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2024.

The five-year relative survival rates for gallbladder cancer range from 4% when the cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage to 68% when diagnosed while the cancer is still localized. For bile duct cancers, the overall five-year relative survival rate is 11% for intrahepatic bile duct cancer and 21% for extrahepatic bile duct cancer.

more on gallbladder and bile duct cancer

• In recent years, incremental improvements in survival rates for biliary tract cancers have been achieved by molecularly targeted treatments. Read more about this modest but welcome progress on the AACR’s blog, Cancer Research Catalyst: Finding the Right Targets to Treat Biliary Tract Cancers.
• Other good news about treatment for cancers of the biliary tract is discussed in another post on the blog: Encouraging Treatment Advances for Aggressive Cancers of the Biliary Tract.

for more information

Please see our pages on gallbladder cancer and extrahepatic bile duct cancer, which include detailed information on treatment for these forms of cancer.