Relationship Between Gallstone and Biliary Tract Neoplasm; a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cohort and Case-Control Studies Publisher



Abdullkareem FA¹ ; Jorshari ST² ; Kadhum AA³ ; Emamieh S⁴ ; Golnavaz M⁵ ; Zandiyeh F⁶ ; Zaremoghadam E⁷ ; Mirshekari A⁸ ; Ghaffariyan S⁹
Source: Immunopathologia Persa Published:2025

Abstract

Introduction: As a common disease, gallstone has the potential to increase the risk of biliary tract neoplasm via inflammation, bile flow alterations, or changing the levels of metabolic hormones. Objectives: The present systematic review intended to investigate the potential relationship between gallstone and biliary tract neoplasm. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted through a systematic review and meta-analysis, based on the guidelines provided by PRISMA. A comprehensive search was performed in the Web of Science, Cochrane, ProQuest, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases until February 20, 2024. Moreover, data analysis was performed using the STATA 14 software, and the significance level was set at P< 0.05. Results: The present systematic review included 14 case-control and 11 cohort studies. According to our results, gallstone increased the risk of biliary tract neoplasm in all studies (OR: 4.08, 95% CI: 2.82, 5.92), including cohort (OR: 4.35, 95% CI: 2.61, 7) and case-control studies (OR: 3.87, 95% CI: 2.22, 6.72). Moreover, the increased risk of biliary tract neoplasm was reported in the gallstone patients of the age groups of 40-49 years (OR: 2.97, 95% CI: 2.30, 3.84), 50-59 years (OR: 2.92, 95% CI: 2.02, 4.23), and 60-69 years (OR: 6.34, 95% CI: 4, 10.07). Furthermore, the patients with gallstones were at an increased risk of gallbladder cancer (OR: 6.24, 95% CI: 3.95, 9.85), intrahepatic bile duct cancer (OR: 4.46, 95% CI: 1.31, 15.15), extrahepatic bile duct cancer (OR: 4.19, 95), and ampulla of Vater cancer (OR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.53, 3.99) compared to patients without gallstones. Conclusion: Gallstones significantly increased the risk of biliary tract neoplasm, with the highest risk reported in the age group of 60-69 years. © 2025 The Author(s)