Gallbladder cancer (GBc) is a highly malignant tumor with poorly understood etiology. An insight into phenotypic features of this malignancy may add to the knowledge of its carcinogenesis and pave the way to new therapeutic approaches. We assessed the expression of female sex hormone receptors (eRα, eRβ, PR), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and HER2 in GBC, and adjacent normal tissue (nt), and determined their prognostic impact. immunohistochemical (iHc) expression of all biomarkers was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens in 60 Caucasian GBC patients (51 women and 9 men). ERβ, cytoPR and CTGF expression were found in 89%, 27%, 91% of GBC, and in 63%, 87%, 100% of NT, respectively. No ERα expression was found in GBC and NT. Strong (3+) HER2 expression by iHc or HER2 amplification was seen in five GBC (10.4%). A positive correlation was found between HER2 and CTGF and ERβ expression in GBc and matched nt. in the multivariate analysis, patient age >70 years, tumor size and ERβ expression in GBc was highly predictive for oS (p = 0.003). The correlation between HER2, CTGF and ERβ expression in GBc and nt may indicate the interaction of these pathways in physiological processes and gallbladder pathology. Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive malignant tumor originating from epithelial cells of the mucous membrane. The etiology of GBC is poorly understood, and its global prevalence is characterized by considerable regional variations 1-4. The highest incidence is reported in Chile, India, Pakistan, Bolivia, Central Europe, Israel, and in Native Americans and Americans of Mexican origin 1-4. The risk of developing GBC is higher in patients with chronic inflammatory processes caused by gallstones with resulting calcification of the gallbladder wall ("porcelain gallbladder"), and with infections such as Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi 3-5. GBC is about two to six times more common in women compared to men, and its incidence steadily increases with age 1-5. Estrogens are key signaling molecules that regulate various physiological processes and play a major role in many pathological conditions, such as hormone-dependent cancers. Expression of female sex hormone receptors in GBC has been analyzed in a few studies including mainly Asian populations, and provided inconsistent results 6-14. Several small studies demonstrated overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) and HER gene amplifications or mutations 15-27. Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) was found to be expressed in various stages of the GBC carcinogenesis 28. GBC carries a poor prognosis and most patients succumb to their disease. An insight into phenotypic features of this tumor may add to the knowledge of its carcinogenesis and pave the way to new therapeutic approaches. In the present study we investigated the expression of female sex hormone receptors: estrogen receptor alpha (ERα), ER beta (ERβ) and progesterone (PR), as well as CTGF and HER2 in a relatively large group of Caucasian GBC pat...