Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare form of cancer with no signs or symptoms in the early stages. In the U.S., approximately 2,000 people die annually from this condition, with only 20% diagnosed at an early stage. Surgery remains the most effective treatment. Although minimally invasive approaches—laparoscopic and robotic are increasingly used in gastrointestinal oncology, their use in GBC is limited and comparing robotic surgery to laparoscopic and conventional surgery approaches remains limited and controversial.

In a new review in the journal Surgical Oncology Clinics, BU researchers show that minimally invasive surgery—especially robotic surgery—can be a safe way to treat selected patients with gallbladder cancer. In the studies reviewed, robotic approaches often had less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, and sometimes removed more lymph nodes, while long‑term cancer outcomes resembled those for open surgery in appropriately chosen patients.