Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an extremely aggressive biliary tract malignancy characterized by silent early progression, late-stage diagnosis and poor prognosis. It is one of the most lethal gastrointestinal cancers, with a five-year survival rate often below 10%, partly because only about 10-20% of patients are eligible for curative surgical resection at diagnosis. 

A key focus of molecular research is whether Actionable Genomic Alterations (AGAs) – specific DNA changes in cancer cells – independently impact survival beyond established factors like stage and treatment.

A new study by researchers at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine has found that patients with gallbladder cancer who had certain documented gene changes in their tumor had a higher risk of death, even when we compared them with similar patients based on age, sex, race/ethnicity, cancer stage, surgery and chemotherapy.

New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (12-15 May) shows that people who gain the highest amount of weight across adulthood are at greatly increased risk of certain obesity related cancers. The study is by Associate Professor Anton Nilsson and Associate Professor Tanja Stocks, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden, and colleagues.

A sweat-monitoring wearable device developed by UC Irvine researchers enables real-time and continuous tracking of a variety of health conditions through sweat analysis. The sensor is designed to be worn continuously outside of laboratory or clinical settings and can detect molecules in perspiration that are signs of stress, cancer, kidney disease and mental health issues. The project was funded by the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering.