What follow-up protocols should be implemented for patients treated for gallbladder cancer to monitor for recurrence?

Follow-up protocols for patients treated for gallbladder cancer to monitor for recurrence:

Currently, there are no specific UK NICE guidelines provided in the context for follow-up protocols tailored explicitly to gallbladder cancer recurrence monitoring.

However, by analogy with other gastrointestinal cancers such as oesophago-gastric and colorectal cancers, routine clinical or radiological surveillance solely for detection of recurrence is generally not recommended if the patient is asymptomatic and there is no evidence of residual disease after curative treatment.

Instead, patients should be provided with information about symptoms that might indicate recurrence and advised to seek prompt medical review if such symptoms develop. Rapid access to specialist multidisciplinary teams should be offered if symptoms arise.

In colorectal cancer, follow-up for detection of local recurrence and distant metastases is recommended for the first 3 years post-curative surgery, including serum tumour markers and imaging, but such protocols are not explicitly stated for gallbladder cancer.

Therefore, for gallbladder cancer, a pragmatic approach would be to provide patient education on symptom awareness and ensure rapid access to specialist care if symptoms develop, rather than routine imaging or blood tests solely for recurrence detection.