Guwahati: Researchers at Tezpur University have identified chemical markers in blood that can distinguish gallbladder cancer cases with or without gallstones, potentially aiding early diagnosis.
The study, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Pankaj Barah and research scholar Dr. Cinmoyee Baruah of the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, has been published in the Journal of Proteome Research of the American Chemical Society.
The research reports the identification of specific blood-based “metabolic signatures” that may serve as potential biomarkers for gallbladder cancer.
Gallbladder cancer is one of the deadliest gastrointestinal cancers and the third most common in Northeast India. Often silent in early stages, many patients are diagnosed late.
While gallstones increase risk, some patients develop cancer without them. Rising cases in Assam highlight the urgent need for early detection.
“Our findings show that changes in certain chemicals in blood (metabolites) can clearly distinguish gallbladder cancer cases with and without gallstones,” Dr. Barah said. “This raises the possibility of developing simple blood-based tests that could help in earlier detection.”
The first-of-its-kind pilot study from Northeast India analysed blood samples from three groups: patients with gallbladder cancer without gallstones, patients with gallbladder cancer and gallstones, and individuals with gallstones but no cancer.
Using advanced metabolomics techniques, the researchers detected hundreds of altered metabolites—180 in gallstone-free cancer cases and 225 in gallstone-associated cases. Distinct biomarker panels with high diagnostic accuracy were identified for each variant, many involving bile acids and amino acid derivatives linked to tumour progression.
The research was carried out through an interdisciplinary collaboration involving surgeons, pathologists, pharmaceutical scientists, molecular biologists, and computational scientists.
Clinical inputs came from Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh; Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati; and Swagat Super-Speciality Hospital. Analytical and computational support was provided by the University of Illinois, Urbana–Champaign (USA), and the CSIR–Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow.
Highlighting the translational relevance of the findings, Dr. Gayatri Gogoi, pathologist at Assam Medical College, said:
“By linking tissue pathology with blood metabolomics, this research bridges the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical diagnosis.”
From a clinical perspective, Dr. Subhash Khanna, a renowned gastrointestinal surgeon based in Guwahati, described the findings as significant. “The identification of blood-based metabolic markers provides a practical pathway towards early diagnosis and informed clinical decision-making,” he said.
The researchers caution that larger, multi-centre studies are needed before clinical use but say the findings provide a strong foundation for developing non-invasive screening tools, especially for high-risk areas like Northeast India.