Hormones and gallbladder cancer in women

Epidemiological evidence suggests that the incidence of gallstone disease and gallbladder cancer is higher in women. We analyzed the literature on estrogen and progesterone receptor expression in gallbladder cancer in women. A systematic search was done using Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for the years 1983–2009. The search terms used included ‘gallbladder’, ‘gallstone’, ‘oestrogen/estrogen’, ‘progesterone’, ‘cancer’, ‘cholelithiasis’, ‘hormone,’ and ‘motility’. Hormone receptor expression in gallbladder cancer was analyzed in 11 studies of which immunohistochemistry was used in 10 and enzyme immunoassay in one study. Sample sizes varied 141. Estrogen and/or progesterone receptor expression was detectable in gallbladder cancer tissue samples in nine studies, whereas four studies failed to confirm these findings. The data on the association of hormone receptor expression to tumor differentiation is contradictory and needs further evaluation.