Effectiveness of Gemcitabine with or without Radiotherapy in Gallbladder Carcinoma

Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the hepatobiliary tract and the 5th most common cancer of the gastrointestinal tract. Objective: To compare the efficacy of gemcitabine as a single agent or in combination with radiation in terms of response rate and relief of symptoms in gallbladder carcinoma. Methods: This retrospective study was accomplished at the department of oncology, Nishter Hospital Multan, Pakistan, from January 2021 to December 2022. Inclusion criteria were patients with a histopathologically proven diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma, and they were advised gemcitabine with or without radiation therapy as per the treating physician’s discretion. The treatment response rate and alleviation of symptoms were noted. Results: Among a total of 50 patients, 40 (80.0%) were female. The mean age was 56.58 ± 6.14 years. At baseline, 33 (66.0%) patients had stable disease, while the remaining 17 (34.0%) had progressive disease. Gemcitabine alone revealed stable disease, and progressive disease in 14 (56.0%), and 11 (44.0%) patients, respectively, whereas among patients receiving gemcitabine plus radiotherapy, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease were observed in 7 (28.0%), 14 (50.0%), and 4 (16.0%) patients, respectively (p=0.006). Regarding symptom relief, 8 (32.0%) patients in the gemcitabine alone group had pain relief versus 20 (80.0%) in the gemcitabine plus radiotherapy group (p=0.001). Conclusion: Gemcitabine plus concomitant radiotherapy was more effective in achieving higher response rates and alleviation of symptoms when compared to gemcitabine alone in gallbladder carcinoma patients.