In Switzerland, gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer is detected in around 330 people each year, most of whom are over 60 years old. Women are affected slightly more frequently than men.
The gallbladder stores the bile that is produced by the liver and dispenses it to the intestine through the bile ducts. Bile is important for digesting fat in the intestine. If the cancer stems from the bile ducts, it is known as bile duct cancer.