Complete response of gallbladder cancer treated with gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy combined with durvalumab: A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is the most common and aggressive subtype of biliary tract cancer (BTC) and has a poor prognosis. A newly developed regimen of gemcitabine, cisplatin, and durvalumab shows promise for the treatment of advanced BTC. However, the efficacy of this treatment for GBC remains unclear. CASE SUMMARY In this report, we present a case in which the triple-drug regimen exhibited marked effectiveness in treating locally advanced GBC, thus leading to a long-term survival benefit. A 68-year-old man was diagnosed with locally advanced GBC, which rendered him ineligible for curative surgery. Following three cycles of therapy, a partial response was observed. After one year of combined therapy, a clinical complete response was successfully achieved. Subsequent maintenance therapy with durvalumab monotherapy resulted in a disease-free survival of 9 months for the patient. The patient experienced tolerable toxicities of reversible grade 2 nausea and fatigue. Tolerable adverse events were observed in the patient throughout the entirety of the treatment. CONCLUSION The combination of gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy with durvalumab was proven to be an effective treatment approach for advanced GBC, with manageable adverse events. Further research is warranted to substantiate the effectiveness of the combined regimen in the context of GBC.