Makdissi FF, Pereira MA, Jukemura J, Herman P. Letter to the Editor: Gallbladder cancer deserves attention: From epidemiologic awareness to organized referral pathways and translational research. World J Hepatol 2026; 18(9): 124822 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.124822]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Fabio Ferrari Makdissi, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto do Cancer, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Dr Arnaldo 251, São Paulo 01246000, Brazil. fabio.makdissi@hc.fm.usp.br
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
letter
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Makdissi FF, Pereira MA, Jukemura J, Herman P. Letter to the Editor: Gallbladder cancer deserves attention: From epidemiologic awareness to organized referral pathways and translational research. World J Hepatol 2026; 18(9): 124822 [DOI: 10.4254/wjh.124822]
World J Hepatol. Sep 27, 2026; 18(9): 124822 Published online Sep 27, 2026. doi: 10.4254/wjh.124822
Letter to the Editor: Gallbladder cancer deserves attention: From epidemiologic awareness to organized referral pathways and translational research
Fabio Ferrari Makdissi, Marina Alessandra Pereira, José Jukemura, Paulo Herman
Fabio Ferrari Makdissi, Marina Alessandra Pereira, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto do Cancer, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246000, Brazil
José Jukemura, Paulo Herman, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403900, Brazil
Co-corresponding authors: Fabio Ferrari Makdissi and Marina Alessandra Pereira.
Author contributions: Makdissi FF wrote the original draft; Pereira MA contributed to conceptualization, reviewing and editing; Jukemura J and Herman P contributed to reviewing and editing; Makdissi FF and Pereira MA played important and indispensable roles in the manuscript preparation as the co-corresponding authors; and all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tool was used to generate research data, interpret results, or formulate conclusions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest that might be relevant to the contents of this manuscript.
Corresponding author: Fabio Ferrari Makdissi, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto do Cancer, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, Av Dr Arnaldo 251, São Paulo 01246000, Brazil. fabio.makdissi@hc.fm.usp.br
Received: June 25, 2026 Revised: July 26, 2026 Accepted: August 10, 2026 Published online: September 27, 2026 Processing time: 85 Days and 0.7 Hours
Abstract
We read with interest the editorial by Tsukanov et al published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology regarding the relevance of gallbladder cancer (GBC). Although emerging evidence points to the roles of bile acids, the microbiota, and immune regulation in GBC carcinogenesis, findings from our Brazilian cohort highlight the ongoing impact of late diagnosis and fragmented referral pathways. Most patients presented with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis and were ineligible for curative-intent treatment. We believe that improving GBC outcomes requires integrating translational research with structured clinical pathways, specialized multidisciplinary care, and timely access to specialized treatment.
Core Tip: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains a highly lethal disease. Although insights into bile acids, microbiota, and immune regulation may enhance our understanding of carcinogenesis, late diagnosis and a lack of access to specialized care continue to contribute to the poor outcomes observed in patients with GBC. In turn, data from our Brazilian cohort highlight the need to combine biological insights with organized clinical pathways to improve survival.
