Till now, two distinct epithelial lesions, dysplasia and adenoma, are currently recognized as premalignant stages of gallbladder (GB) carcinogenesis. In these two carcinogenesis pathways, GB stones and polyps are regarded as one of the most important risk factors of GB carcinoma respectively. Although there still remain controversies for the indication of prophylactic cholecystectomy for GB stones and polyps due to lack of high-level evidence, the present review demonstrated that patients who have GB stones with more than 3 cm size, chronic typhoid carriers, porcelain GB, or anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union and patients with more than 1 cm sized GB polyp would be recommended prophylactic cholecystectomy.

Keywords: Gallbladder, Stone, Polyp, Carcinoma, Cholecystectomy