Gallbladder cancer risk factors: who is more likely to get it

What gallbladder cancer is

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that lies just under the liver in the upper abdomen. It stores bile, a fluid the liver makes to digest fat. Gallbladder cancer occurs when cells in the gallbladder start to grow out of control (NCI PDQ).

NCI and MedlinePlus both call it rare (NCI PDQ) (MedlinePlus). NCI's health professional summary gives an estimate of 12,610 new cases and 4,400 deaths from gallbladder and other biliary cancers in the United States in 2025 (NCI PDQ HP).

Who is more likely to get gallbladder cancer

• People with gallstones. Gallstones are the most common risk factor for gallbladder cancer, but NCI says the overall risk is low and most people with gallstones do not develop gallbladder cancer (NCI PDQ). Gallstones are found in most cases of gallbladder cancer, yet less than 1% of people with gallstones develop this cancer (NCI PDQ HP). MedlinePlus puts it the same way: people with gallstones rarely have gallbladder cancer (MedlinePlus).
• Women. MedlinePlus says gallbladder cancer is more common in women (MedlinePlus).
• Native Americans. MedlinePlus says it is also more common in Native Americans (MedlinePlus).

Women and American Indians are also more likely to get gallstones (NIDDK). Our gallstones risk factors guide covers who gets them and the warning signs of a gallbladder attack.

The NCI and MedlinePlus pages we use do not list further risk factors, so we do not add any here.

Why it is often found late

NCI says gallbladder cancer is hard to find and diagnose early because people rarely have signs or symptoms in the early stages, the symptoms that do show up are like those of many other illnesses, and the gallbladder is hidden behind the liver (NCI PDQ). It is sometimes found when the gallbladder is checked for gallstones or removed for another reason (NCI).

When a superficial, early-stage cancer is found this way after the gallbladder is removed, the disease is often cured without further treatment (NCI PDQ HP). NCI says gallbladder cancer can be cured only if it is found before it has spread, when it can be removed by surgery; if it has spread, palliative treatment can improve quality of life by controlling symptoms (NCI PDQ).

How it is diagnosed

Besides your health history and a physical exam, doctors may use liver function tests and other blood tests, imaging such as a CT scan, laparoscopy (a thin, lighted tube put through a small cut in the abdomen) and a biopsy, a tissue sample checked under a microscope (NCI PDQ).

Common questions

If I have gallstones, will I get gallbladder cancer?

Very unlikely. Gallstones are the most common risk factor, but less than 1% of people with gallstones develop gallbladder cancer (NCI PDQ HP), and most people with gallstones never do (NCI PDQ).

Is there a screening test for gallbladder cancer?

The NCI and MedlinePlus pages we use do not describe a screening test for people without symptoms. They say it is hard to diagnose early and is sometimes found when the gallbladder is removed for another reason (NCI PDQ) (MedlinePlus).

What are the first signs?

Often there are none early on (NCI PDQ). The most common symptoms are jaundice, pain and fever (NCI PDQ HP); see the full list in the box at the top of this page.

Also see liver cancer risk factors and pancreatic cancer risk factors.