Adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder warrants resection only if curative resection is feasible

Primary pure squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder

SummarySquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an uncommon and frequently aggressive subtype of gallbladder cancer known for its poor outcomes compared with other gallbladder tumours. Gallbladder SCC typically presents as higher grade and more advanced than adenocarcinoma, resulting in lower estimated survival. Early recognition of these tumours is ideal, but infrequently achieved. Herein is a case of a male patient in his 80s with new onset abdominal pain who was initially diagnosed with cholecystitis, but diagnostic imaging revealed a gallbladder mass. Surgical resection and pathology revealed pure SCC of the gallbladder without local organ invasion or metastatic disease. Pure SCC histology of the gallbladder is rare, with limited studies on clinical presentation, natural history, and optimal treatment.

A case of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor-producing gallbladder cancer with lymph node metastasis together with a literature review

The granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) glycoprotein stimulates precursor cell proliferation and differentiation in the bone marrow. Various G-CSF-producing tumors have been reported; they showed early progression and an extremely poor prognosis. Here, we report a case of G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer with lymph node metastasis. In addition, we reviewed 30 previous case reports of G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancers to elucidate the characteristics and most appropriate treatment. During a routine visit to her local doctor for monitoring of diabetes and hypertension, a 68-year-old female was found to have an elevated white-blood-cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and a gallbladder mass. Laboratory tests revealed a high serum G-CSF level, and imaging revealed a tumor of the gallbladder with regional lymphadenopathy. We diagnosed a G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer and performed liver resection of segment IVa/V: regional lymph node dissection with extrahepatic bile duct resection. Pathologically, the tumor was a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. G-CSF immunostaining for tumor cells was positive. She is alive without recurrence at 16 months after surgery. If a patient exhibits a gallbladder tumor, with an elevated WBC count and CRP level but no symptoms of infection, a G-CSF-producing gallbladder cancer should be suspected; radical resection should be performed immediately after diagnosis.

A Tumor in Disguise: Gallbladder Tumor Presenting as Hepatic Abscesses

Gallbladder tumors are the most common tumors of the biliary tract. They are rare but clinically aggressive tumors found either as metastatic disease or occasionally detected upon the histopathological assessment of cholecystectomy biopsy. Adenocarcinoma is the most common phenotype of gallbladder cancer, which can be mild to moderately differentiated. Other malignant phenotypes include mucinous adenocarcinoma, signet cell, small cell, papillary adenocarcinoma, intestinal type adenocarcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma. The rarity of the disease makes the diagnosis extremely difficult in the initial phases. Liver abscesses are extremely rare and scarcely reported presentation of gallbladder cancer, with only a handful reported cases. It is speculated that the development of hepatic abscesses depicts direct involvement of hepatic parenchyma, development of associated necrosis, and superimposed bacterial infection evolving to an abscess. Gallbladder perforations are rare and potentially life-threatening complications of any gallbladder disease. Increased intraluminal pressure leads to mural necrosis, emphysematous changes in the wall, and vascular compromise which leads to gallbladder wall necrosis leading to perforation. Gallbladder tumors are exceedingly notorious for poor outcomes with very limited survival. Here, we present a case of a 69-year-old male who initially presented with impending perforation of the gallbladder with multiple hepatic masses, which were thought to be metastatic deposits. However, on biopsy, he was found to have multiple hepatic abscesses due to localized necrosis. Further workup revealed that the patient had an advanced metastatic gallbladder tumor that had passed the stage of tumor resection. Gallbladder perforations are classified according to Niemeier's classification. Our patient had a type II perforation which resulted in a hepatic abscess.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder masquerading liver abscess with review of literature

Introduction and importance

Squamous cell carcinoma of the gall bladder is a rare but aggressive tumor. It has a wide variety of presentations. Presentation as a liver abscess is a rare condition only 2 cases reported in the literature before.

Case report

A 45-year-old male patient presented to the emergency with complaints of fever, right upper quadrant pain, and jaundice. On evaluation, an initial diagnosis of the liver abscess was made. Due to the deteriorating condition of the patient, he was taken up for surgery. Upon exploration, there were multiple deposits over the bilateral lobes of the liver, so a controlled drainage of abscess cavity was done with biopsy from the wall of the gall bladder and liver metastasis was taken which showed squamous cell carcinoma of gall bladder with liver metastasis. The patient was given gemcitabine and oxaliplatin as palliative chemotherapy. He died after 11 months of presentation.

Discussion and conclusion

The aggressive and advanced nature of the disease at the presentation poses a formidable challenge in managing such patients but early diagnosis and surgical management can provide long term benefits.

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Squamous cell carcinoma of the gall bladder is a rare but aggressive tumor.

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Patients are usually asymptomatic or have vague presenting symptoms.

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A definitive diagnosis is by histopathological examination.

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This is the third case of pure SCC of gall bladder presenting as liver abscess reported in the literature.

Gallbladder adenosquamous carcinoma: a case report and literature review

Representing 90–95% of all malignant gallbladder neoplasms, adenocarcinoma is by far the most common subtype. Adenosquamous carcinoma is a rare subtype, accounting for only 1–5% of all gallbladder carcinomas. These tumors have been shown to have aggressive biologic behavior, commonly extending to adjacent structures. Some studies have shown that the squamous component often displayed a greater proliferative capacity than the adenocarcinomatous component (possibly even up to twice as fast). Complete surgical resection is currently the mainstay of treatment but the prognosis is often poor. In this paper, we present a case of a 69-year-old male with an AJCC Stage IV moderately differentiated adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder treated with radical cholecystectomy including liver segments IVb, V, VI.

Gallbladder Adenosquamous Cancer with Situs Inversus Totalis: A Case Report and Literature Review

Background

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare genetic congenital disease, characterized with complete right-to-left inversion of all the internal organs. We herein describe a meaningful case which was diagnosed as gallbladder adenosquamous carcinoma, a rare histology type of gallbladder cancer, with SIT.

Case Presentation

A 59-year-old Chinese woman was admitted for persistent epigastric distention and intermittent abdominal pain. The abdominal CT scan revealed a huge mass at the gallbladder bottom, involving the adjacent transverse colon and liver. En-bloc radical resection of the gallbladder cancer, including partial colectomy and hepatectomy with regional node dissection, followed by colocolostomy and Roux-en-Y choledochojejunostomy, was successfully performed. Pathology analysis indicated an adenosquamous carcinoma with positive adenocarcinoma markers (CK7, CK19) and squamous carcinoma markers (CK5/6, P63).

Conclusion

The SIT anomaly might increase the risk of malignancies by sharing genome mutations, suggesting the importance of surveillance in the SIT settings.

Comparative Outcomes of Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Gallbladder: an Analysis of the National Cancer Database

BACKGROUND

A paucity of data exists regarding adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder, a histology comprising under 10% of gallbladder cancer diagnoses. The aim of this study is to characterize the clinicopathological features of these tumors utilizing a population-based dataset compared with gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

METHODS

We identified patients with gallbladder adenosquamous and adenocarcinoma from the National Cancer Database from 2004 to 2015. Patient demographics, tumor characteristics, treatment regimens, and overall survival were analyzed between the groups.

RESULTS

We identified 13,158 patients: 12,455 (95%) with a diagnosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma and 703 (5%) with adenosquamous carcinoma. Adenosquamous tumors were larger, poorly differentiated, and presented with Stage III/IV disease (75% vs 69%, p < 0.001). Overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival for adenosquamous and adenocarcinoma were 24%, 11%, and 9% vs 37%, 16%, and 11%, respectively (p < 0.001). Following surgical resection, adenosquamous carcinoma had more positive margins (31% vs 25%, p < 0.001), and median overall survival was 10.3 months vs 20.5 months for adenocarcinoma (p < 0.001). Overall survival at 1-, 3-, and 5-years for surgically resected adenosquamous and adenocarcinoma were 43%, 23%, and 18% versus 63%, 35%, and 25%, respectively (p < 0.001). In resected adenosquamous carcinoma, positive lymph nodes and margins were associated with worse survival, while adjuvant chemoradiation (HR 0.457, 95% CI 0.31-0.69, p < 0.001) was associated with improved survival.

CONCLUSION

Adenosquamous gallbladder cancer presented with larger tumors at advanced clinical stages when compared with adenocarcinoma. Overall survival was worse for adenosquamous tumors both overall, and following curative intent resection. Adjuvant chemoradiation was associated with improved survival in adenosquamous tumors.

A Case Report on Adenosquamous Carcinoma of Gallbladder: A Very Rare Malignancy

Gallbladder (GB) carcinoma is a rare carcinoma with a poor prognosis. The prevalence is 0.7-21/100,000 worldwide and 1-2/100,000 in the United States. Adenosquamous cell carcinoma is composed of glandular and squamous components. The overall five-year survival rate is less than 5%, with a median survival of fewer than six months. We are presenting a case of adenosquamous carcinoma of the GB in a 76-year-old female who presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain and was found to have an enlarged GB, with thickened irregular wall likely inflammatory or malignant and mildly dilated common bile duct on ultrasound imaging of the abdomen. Core needle biopsy of GB showed findings compatible with adenosquamous carcinoma and immunohistochemistry was positive for P40, CK5,6. She was diagnosed with stage T4 N0 M0. She was started on chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine (25 mg/m2 and 1000 mg/m2), respectively, every three weeks but her condition worsened after the fifth cycle of chemotherapy and she decided to move forward with hospice care given her bad prognosis. Unfortunately, she passed away one week after being discharged home.

Effective Endoscopic Closure of Cholecysto-duodenal and Transverse Colon Fistulas Due to Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Gallbladder Using Polyglycolic Acid Sheets and a Covered Metal Stent

An 81-year-old woman presented with abdominal distension and right hypochondrial pain. Abdominal contrast computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an 11-cm gallbladder tumor. The patient was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration from the gastric antrum. Thereafter, the gallbladder tumor enlarged, and cholecysto-duodenal and transverse colon fistulas were formed. A covered metal stent was placed on the transverse colon, and polyglycolic acid sheets were injected into the duodenum to close the fistulas endoscopically. Endoscopic closure is less invasive than surgery and considered effective for patients with poor general health conditions.

Characteristics and survival prognosis of patients with pure squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder

BACKGROUND

Pure squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the gallbladder is rare and often confused with the adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) subtype in previous studies. The present study was attempted to differentiate SCC from ASC by resolving their characteristics and prognosis.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was queried for SCC and ASC of gallbladder cases from 1988 to 2015. Patients' clinicopathological characteristics and survival were analysed between the groups.

RESULTS

Of the 709 patients with primary gallbladder cancer included in this study, 249 (35.1%) had pure SCC and the remaining 460 (64.9%) had ASC. It was found that pure SCC was associated with a larger median tumour size (58.0 versus 41.0 mm, P < 0.001), while ASC presented with a worse histological grade (47.4% versus 37.8% for grades III-IV, P = 0.019) and more lymph node invasion (27.4% versus 18.9%, P = 0.041). The 3-year overall survival and disease-specific survival rates in pure SCC were lower than those in ASC (7.5% versus 11.5% for overall survival, P < 0.001; 6.2% versus 10.9% for disease-specific survival, P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that early Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results historic stage, treatment with surgery and chemotherapy were significant favourable prognostic factors for pure SCC, while tumour size, late study period, treatment with surgery and radiotherapy were significant predictors for ASC.

CONCLUSION

There were significant differences in the clinicopathological characteristics and survival prognosis between pure SCC and ASC. Surgery combined with chemotherapy is the preferred treatment option for pure SCC.

Gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma: An analysis of 1084 cases from the National Cancer Database

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an uncommon malignancy whose rarity has made it particularly challenging to study. We utilized a national database to shed light on the clinicopathologic characteristics, management patterns, and survival associated with these tumors.

METHODS

Patients with gallbladder SCC were identified in the National Cancer Database. Clinicopathologic and treatment characteristics were recorded and compared with adenocarcinoma for context. Univariate and multivariable survival analyses were completed for patients who underwent resection.

RESULTS

Overall, 1084 patients with SCC and 23 958 patients with adenocarcinoma were identified. Compared with those with adenocarcinoma, patients with SCC had higher grade tumors (P < .001) and were diagnosed at a later stage (P < .001). Patients with SCC were more likely to undergo radical cholecystectomy (17% vs 9%; P < .001), but had a higher rate of margin positivity (36% vs 29%; P < .001). SCC histology was associated with worse survival compared with adenocarcinoma, even after adjusting for R0 resections (13 vs 29 months; P < .001). On multivariable analysis, SCC histology was independently associated with abbreviated survival (P = .003).

CONCLUSIONS

Gallbladder SCCs are aggressive cancers that often present at an advanced stage. Complete surgical extirpation should be pursued when feasible. However, prognosis is worse than that of adenocarcinoma, even after R0 resection.

Adeno-squamous and squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder: The importance of histology in surgical management

BACKGROUND

Although gallbladder adenocarcinoma (AC) is potentially curable with resection, outcomes of squamous histologies are poorly described.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed all gallbladder cancers which underwent resection-for-cure in our health system from 2007 to 2017. We compared outcomes of AC to adeno-squamous (ASC)/squamous (SC) histologies.

RESULTS

91 patients met criteria; 76 AC, 15 ASC/SC. Compared to AC, ASC/SC tumors were larger (58 vs. 28 mm), with more frequent liver invasion (73% vs. 37%), pN+ (60% vs. 32%), higher stage (III/IV 73% vs. 52%), and displayed more LVI (60% vs. 36%), p < 0.05. For stage III/IV disease, provided R0 was achieved, survival was durable and similar for ASC/SC and AC (OS median 28mo ASC/SC vs. 25mo AC, p = 0.132; PFS median 21mo ASC/SC vs. 13mo AC, p = 0.206). Pure SC had considerably poorer median OS (<5mo) than ASC (23mo) and AC (28mo).

DISCUSSION

Squamous variants of gallbladder cancer confer aggressive and advanced disease and often require more radical resections to achieve R0. Durable survival is possible in ASC provided R0 is achieved. Pure SC has dismal survival even with R0 resection.

Clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of rare histologic variants of gallbladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Adenocarcinoma (AC) is the most common histological type in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC), and papillary carcinoma (PC) are rare histologic variants of GBC.

METHODS

Patients with AC, SCC, ASC, and PC of the gallbladder between 2004 and 2013 were identified from the National Cancer Database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to compare overall survival (OS) based on histological subtype.

RESULTS

A total of 5956 patients ≥18 years of age were included in the final analysis. Most patients (n = 5398; 90.6%) had AC compared with variant histologies. PC (n = 227; 3.8%) was the most common variant, followed by ASC (n = 216; 3.6%) and SCC (n = 115; 1.9%); 70.3% were female and 78.9% Caucasian. The median age was 70 (range, 25-90) years. Surgical resection was performed in 77.7% of AC, 53.0% of SCC, 88.9% of ASC, and 96.9% of PC (P < .001). Systemic therapy after surgery was administered in 25.1% of AC, 18.3% of SCC, 35.7% of ASC, and 19.4% of PC (P = .001). In multivariate analysis, multiagent chemotherapy was associated with improved OS in all histologies except for SCC and PC (p < .001), and adjuvant systemic therapy was associated with improved OS in ASC and AC (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Survival differs between the gallbladder variants. Except for SCC, GBC variants underwent surgical resection more often than AC. Adjuvant systemic therapy was associated with improved OS in ASC and AC.

Pure squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder locally invading the liver and abdominal cavity: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder squamous cell carcinoma (GBSCC) is a rare subtype of malignancy and accounts for only 2%-3% of gallbladder malignancies. Due to its rapid development, most patients with GBSCC initially present with an advanced stage of the disease and hence a poor prognosis. The clinicopathological and biological features of SCC remain to be fully elucidated, owing to its uncommon occurrence. The majority of currently available data only described individual case reports or series analyses of trivial cases.

CASE SUMMARY

A 64-year-old man was admitted for progressively poor abdominal distension and pain. Liver computed tomography (CT) showed infiltration of gallbladder carcinoma into the adjacent liver, and enlarged retroperitoneal lymph nodes. The patient underwent radical cholecystectomy. Part of the mass was grey and soft, and the neoplastic section showed a purulent-necrotic lesion. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed a moderately differentiated SCC. Immunohistochemical studies showed strong staining of the tumor for AE1/3 and CK5/6. Staining for CK19, CK7, and CAM5.2 was positive in the cytoplasm. Systemic chemotherapy was not administered because of the patient’s poor physical condition. After five months, CT and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography showed multiple metastases in the liver and abdominal cavity.

CONCLUSION

Squamous components of GBSCC may explain the complex biological behavior, and CD109 may be involved in the pathogenesis.

Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of rare histologic subtypes of gallbladder cancer over two decades: A population-based study

Background

There is limited literature about the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of rare histologic variants of gallbladder cancer (GBC).

Methods

Using SEER database, surgically managed GBC patients with microscopically confirmed adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma were identified from 1988 to 2009. Patients with second primary cancer and distant metastasis at presentation were excluded. The effect of clinicopathological variables on overall survival (OS) and disease specific survival (DSS) were analyzed using univariate and multivariate proportional hazards modeling. All associations were considered statistically significant at an alpha error of 0.01.

Results

Out of 4738 cases, 217 adenosquamous/squamous (4.6%), 367 papillary (7.7%), and 4154 adenocarcinomas (87.7%) were identified. Median age was 72 years. Higher tumor grade (grade 2, 3, 4 versus grade 1), higher T stage (T2, T3, T4 versus T1), lymph node positivity (N1 versus N0) and adenosquamous/squamous histology (versus adenocarcinoma) had worse OS and DSS (p < .001). Papillary GBC had better OS and DSS than adenocarcinoma (HR = 0.7; p < .001). Radical surgery (versus simple cholecystectomy) had better OS (HR = 0.83, p = 0.002) in multivariate analysis. OS rates at 3 and 5 years were 0.56 and 0.44 for papillary, 0.3 and 0.22 for adenocarcinoma, and 0.14 and 0.12 for adenosquamous/squamous histology, while DSS rates at 3 and 5 years were 0.67 and 0.61 for papillary, 0.38 and 0.31 for adenocarcinoma, and 0.17 and 0.16 for adenosquamous/squamous subtypes respectively.

Conclusion

Papillary GBC had better survival outcomes while adenosquamous/squamous GBC had worse survival outcomes compared to gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

Prothymosin-α and parathymosin expression predicts poor prognosis in squamous and adenosquamous carcinomas of the gallbladder

The present study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of prothymosin-α (PTMA) and parathymosin (PTMS) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenosquamous cell carcinoma (ASC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) of the gallbladder, and to assess their association with the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of the patients. A retrospective analysis of data pertaining to patients with SCC/ASC (n=46) and AC (n=80) of the gallbladder, who were treated with surgical resection, was conducted. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed to assess the correlation of the expression pattern with survival. The results revealed a higher percentage of patients with a large tumor diameter (>3 cm) in the SCC/ASC group as compared with those in the AC group (P<0.05). No significant differences were observed between patients with SCC/ASC and those with AC with respect to the patient sex, presence of gallstones, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, invasive growth into anatomically contiguous structures, surgical methods used, survival rate, and the expression levels of PTMA and PTMA (P>0.05). However, positive expression of PTMA and PTMA was associated with tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, locally invasive growth, and treatment with radical resection in patients with SCC/ASC and AC (P<0.05). In addition, positive expression of PTMA and PTMA was observed in a significantly lower number of patients with advanced AC as compared with those in early AC (P<0.05), while these expression levels were also associated with shorter survival in the SCC/ASC group and AC group (P<0.05). Cox multivariate analysis also demonstrated a negative correlation between PTMA and PTMA levels, and the postoperative survival rate in the two groups. In conclusion, the present study indicated that the expression levels of PTMA and PTMA were closely associated with the tumorigenesis and progression of SCC, ASC and AC of the gallbladder. Positive expression of PTMA and PTMA may serve as a valuable prognostic factor in these patients.

Squamous Cell and Adenosquamous Carcinoma of Gall Bladder: a Clinicopathological Study of 8 Cases Isolated in 94 Cancers

Adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma (AS/SCC) of the gall bladder is a rare histopathologic subtype that accounts for 1 to 12% of all the gall bladder carcinomas (GBC). Literature on these malignancies is limited. A retrospective analysis of 8 cases (study group) of pathologically proven AS/SCC of the gallbladder among 94 patients who underwent surgery for GBC from January 2001 to December 2014 was done. Twenty-four conventional gall bladder adenocarcinoma cases were selected as control group after matching for age and gender. Mean patient age was 57.8 years and six were females. Clinical presentation did not seem to be too different among the study and control group. Average tumor thickness was significantly higher in AS/SCC cases as compared to the control group (mean 3.1 versus 1.44 cm; p = 0.001). Immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 in adenosquamous carcinoma of the gall bladder showed much higher proliferative index in squamoid area than the adenocarcinoma areas (mean 31.3 versus 16.8%; p = 0.0004). Study group showed 87.5% patients were in higher stage whereas only 37.5% of the patients in control group presented at a higher stage. AS/SCC of the gall bladder presented at an advanced stage. Higher proliferation index in squamous component of adenosquamous carcinomas may account for higher T stage in these malignancies.

Comparative study of ROR2 and WNT5a expression in squamous/adenosquamous carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder

AIM

To investigate the expression and clinical pathological significance of ROR2 and WNT5a in gallbladder squamous/adenosquamous carcinoma (SC/ASC) and adenocarcinoma (AC).

METHODS

EnVision immunohistochemistry was used to stain for ROR2 and WNT5a in 46 SC/ASC patients and 80 AC patients.

RESULTS

Poorly differentiated AC among AC patients aged > 45 years were significantly more frequent compared with SC/ASC patients, while tumors with a maximal diameter > 3 cm in the SC/ASC group were significantly more frequent compared with the AC group. Positive ROR2 and WNT5a expression was significantly lower in SC/ASC or AC with a maximal mass diameter ≤ 3 cm, a TNM stage of I + II, no lymph node metastasis, no surrounding invasion, and radical resection than in patients with a maximal mass diameter > 3 cm, TNM stage IV, lymph node metastasis, surrounding invasion, and no resection. Positive ROR2 expression in patients with highly differentiated SC/ASC was significantly lower than in patients with poorly differentiated SC/ASC. Positive ROR2 and WNT5a expression levels in highly differentiated AC were significantly lower than in poorly differentiated AC. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that differentiation degree, maximal mass diameter, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, surrounding invasion, surgical procedure and the ROR2 and WNT5a expression levels were closely related to average survival of SC/ASC or AC. The survival of SC/ASC or AC patients with positive expression of ROR2 and WNT5a was significantly shorter than that of patients with negative expression results. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that poor differentiation, a maximal diameter of the mass ≥ 3 cm, TNM stage III or IV, lymph node metastasis, surrounding invasion, unresected surgery and positive ROR2 or WNT5a expression in the SC/ASC or AC patients were negatively correlated with the postoperative survival rate and positively correlated with mortality, which are risk factors and independent prognostic predictors.

CONCLUSION

SC/ASC or AC patients with positive ROR2 or WNT5a expression generally have a poor prognosis.

The Expression of Notch 1 and Notch 3 in Gallbladder Cancer and Their Clinicopathological Significance

Gallbladder cancers (GBCs) are highly malignant gastrointestinal cancers. The biological makers for the prognosis and targeting therapy of GBCs have not been established. The protein expression of Notch 1 and Notch 3 in 46 squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinomas (SC/ASCs) and 80 adenocarcinomas (AC) was measured using immunohistochemistry. Positive Notch 1 and Notch 3 expression in both SC/ASC and AC was significantly associated with large tumor size, invasion, metastasis, and low surgical curability (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that positive Notch 1 and Notch 3 expression was significantly associated with mean survival of SC/ASC and AC patients (P < 0.01 or P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that positive Notch 1 and Notch 3 expression, as well as low differentiation, large tumor size, high TNM stage, invasion, lymph node metastasis, and surgical curability are independent poor-prognostic factors in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Positive Notch 1 and Notch 3 expression is closely correlated with severe clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis in both SC/ASC and AC patients.

Squamous/adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder: Analysis of 34 cases and comparison of clinicopathologic features and surgical outcomes with adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES

To explore clinicopathological features and effects of surgical treatment of squamous/adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder.

METHODS

We enrolled 411 patients who were surgically treated for gallbladder cancer in our hospital, including 10 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 24 with adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC), and 377 with adenocarcinoma (AC). The ASC-SCC group was compared with the AC group for clinicopathological features and surgical outcomes.

RESULTS

The patients' average age was 61.4 years. Abdominal pain was the most common presenting symptom, and 67.6% of patients had gallstones. All patients had advanced-stage (T3/T4) carcinomas. The ASC-SCC group had significantly higher percentages of T4 disease (61.8%) and N1 nodal involvement (58.8%) than did the AC group (T4 disease: 34.0%, P = 0.001; N1 involvement: 39.0%, P = 0.02). Patients in the ASC-SCC group who underwent R0 resections had significantly better 1-year survival (30%) than those who underwent R1 or R2 resections (0%; P = 0.025), but lower 1-year survival rates than similar-staged patients in the AC group (69.3%; P = 0.016).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with gallbladder ASC-SCC were similar to those with AC in clinical characteristics, but tended to have more infiltration of multiple adjacent organs and lymphatic metastasis. Curative resection could give these patients better outcomes.

Gallbladder Cancer in the 21st Century

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an uncommon disease in the majority of the world despite being the most common and aggressive malignancy of the biliary tree. Early diagnosis is essential for improved prognosis; however, indolent and nonspecific clinical presentations with a paucity of pathognomonic/predictive radiological features often preclude accurate identification of GBC at an early stage. As such, GBC remains a highly lethal disease, with only 10% of all patients presenting at a stage amenable to surgical resection. Among this select population, continued improvements in survival during the 21st century are attributable to aggressive radical surgery with improved surgical techniques. This paper reviews the current available literature of the 21st century on PubMed and Medline to provide a detailed summary of the epidemiology and risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, radiology, pathology, management, and prognosis of GBC.

DNA-PKcs and Ku70 are predictive markers for poor prognosis of patients with gall bladder malignancies

Gall bladder cancers (GBCs) are highly resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the key molecular mechanisms responsible for therapeutic resistance have not been identified. In this study, the expression of DNA-PKcs and Ku70 in 46 squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinomas (SC/ASCs) and 80 adenocarcinomas (ACs) were examined by immunohistochemical analysis. Positive DNA-PKcs and Ku70 expression were significantly associated with less lymph node metastasis, invasion, and low TNM stage of SC/ASCs and ACs. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that loss of DNA-PKcs and Ku70 expression significantly correlated with decreased survival in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that loss of DNA-PKcs and Ku70 expression was an independent poor prognostic predictor in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Our study suggested that DNA-PKcs and Ku70 are tumor suppressors, and loss of DNA-PKcs and Ku70 expression is an important biological marker for metastasis, invasion, and prognosis of GBC. Currently, there is no implication of DNA-PKcs and Ku70 expression in chemoresistance or radioresistance in GBC.

Locally Advanced, Unresectable Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Gallbladder

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the gallbladder is a rare malignancy of the gallbladder, accounting for less than 5% of gallbladder pathology. Initial presentation is often similar to adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder. SCC tends to be more locally aggressive, however, and possesses a worse prognosis than adenocarcinoma. We report a case of locally advanced SCC of the gallbladder.

Metastatic gallbladder adenosquamous carcinoma to the skin†

Cutaneous metastasis (CM) is an uncommon manifestation of visceral malignancies. Adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder is a rare variation in gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), associated with worse prognosis. We present the case of a 56-year-old woman who presented with an inflamed lump on her abdominal wall. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a large mass from the gallbladder invading the abdominal wall. She underwent liver resection with regional lymphadenectomy. Pathology analysis revealed a 12-cm pT3N0 GBC. Hospital discharge occurred at post-operative Day 20. She recurred and died 10 months after surgery. Survival after the diagnosis of CM is dismal. The present case was a diagnostic trap. First, the patient's skin lesion presented as a cutaneous abscess and biopsy revealed a squamous cell cancer. A CT scan suggested a continuous mass involving the abdominal wall. CM was only suspected during surgery when no continuity between the tumour and the abdominal wall was identified.

Gallbladder cancers: associated conditions, histological types, prognosis, and prevention

INTRODUCTION

Gallbladder cancer has a poor prognosis, with a reported 5-year survival of 5%. The prognosis improves when an R0 resection is feasible, but an early diagnosis is rare. The aim of the present study is to analyze the different conditions associated with gallbladder carcinomas and to report the main prognostic factors for these tumors to enable prevention.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 1986 to 2012, 75 patients were found to have gallbladder cancer during the study of 2942 patients affected by biliary tract diseases; 34 of these patients had gallbladder and gallstones, and had been subjected to bile analysis. Pancreatobiliary reflux was studied by biliary trypsin and C-Ki-ras genes were analyzed in 11 cases.

RESULTS

Gallstones were found in 72 of 75 gallbladder cancer patients; in particular, large gallstones were associated with 88.88% of squamous-cell carcinoma, 68.2% of adenocarcinoma, and never with papillary adenocarcinoma. Pancreatobiliary reflux was associated with papillary adenocarcinoma in 100% of cases, but seldom with squamous cell carcinoma. C-Ki-ras mutations were found in 100% of patients with papillary carcinoma.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

R0 resection in in-situ cancer has the best prognosis. Preventive cholecystectomy should be performed in high-risk patients (gallstones larger 3 cm; adenomatous polyps>1 cm; pancreatobiliary reflux, porcelain gallbladder, segmental adenomyomatosis, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis). The histological stratification of gallbladder cancer should be carried out before starting further studies because squamous-cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and papillary carcinoma are associated with different risk factors and genetic mutations and have different responsiveness to chemotherapies.

Squamous variant of gallbladder cancer: is it different from adenocarcinoma?

BACKGROUND

Literature on squamous variants of gallbladder cancer (GBC) is limited.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of GBC patients operated on between August 2009 and March 2012. Patients with adenosquamous carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma were compared with adenocarcinoma for clinicopathologic features and surgical outcomes.

RESULTS

Of the primary GBC patients resected with curative intent, 14 had adenosquamous carcinoma (10) or squamous cell carcinoma (4) (group A), whereas 122 had adenocarcinoma (group B). Abdominal pain was the most common symptom in both groups; however, presentation with vomiting and an abdominal lump was more common in group A (P = .04 and <.01, respectively). Group A had a significantly larger tumor size (7.9 vs 4.8 cm, P = .01) and a higher incidence of adjacent organ involvement requiring extended resections (85.7% vs 26.2%, P < .01). Despite the higher T stage, node-negative disease was significantly higher in group A (42.9% vs 17.2%, P = .03). There was no significant difference in the median survival after curative resection between the 2 groups (28 vs 31 months, P = .24).

CONCLUSIONS

The squamous variant of GBC presented at an advanced T stage; however, nodal involvement and distant metastasis were less common. Despite the higher T stage, curative resection could be achieved in the majority with a comparable survival.

Clinicopathological features and CCT2 and PDIA2 expression in gallbladder squamous/adenosquamous carcinoma and gallbladder adenocarcinoma

Background

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a relatively uncommon carcinoma among gastrointestinal cancers and usually has a rather poor prognosis. The most common subtype of GBC is adenocarcinoma (AC), which accounts for about 90% of GBC. Squamous carcinoma/adenosquamous carcinoma (SC/ASC) are comparatively rare histopathological subtypes of GBC. The clinicopathological features and biological behaviors of SC/ASC have not been well-characterized. No molecular biomarkers are currently available for predicting the progression, metastasis, and prognosis of the SC/ASC subtype of GBC.

Methods

We examined the expression levels of CCT2 and PDIA3 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining in human GBC tissue samples collected from 46 patients with SC/ASC and evaluated the clinicopathological significance of both CCT2 and PDIA3 expression in the SC/ASC subtypes of GBC by Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis. For comparison, we included specimens from 80 AC patients in our study to investigate the specificity of CCT2 and PDIA3 expression in GBC subtypes.

Results

We found that the positive expression of CCT2 and PDIA3 was significantly associated with clinicopathological features of both SC/ASC and AC specimens, including high TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Univariate analysis revealed that the two-year survival rate was significantly lower for patients with positive expression of CCT2 and PDIA3 than for those with negative expression. Multivariate analysis also indicated that the positive expression of CCT2 and PDIA3 was negatively correlated with poor postoperative patient survival and positively correlated with high mortality.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that positive expression of CCT2 or PDIA3 is associated with tumor progression and the clinical behavior of gallbladder carcinoma. Therefore, CCT2 and PDIA3 could be potentially important diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for both SC/ASC and AC subtypes of GBC.

A comparative study of clinicopathological significance, FGFBP1, and WISP-2 expression between squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinomas and adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder

BACKGROUND

The differences in clinical, pathological, and biological characteristics between adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinoma (SC/ASC) of gallbladder cancer have not been well documented. This study is to compare the clinicopathological characteristics and FGFBP1 and WISP-2 expression between AC and SC/ASC patients.

METHODS

We examined FGFBP1 and WISP-2 expression in 46 SC/ASC and 80 AC samples using immunohistochemistry and analyzed their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics.

RESULTS

SC/ASCs occur more frequently in older patients and often correspond to larger tumor masses than ACs. Positive FGFBP1 and negative WISP-2 expression were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and invasion of SC/ASCs and ACs. In addition, positive FGFBP1 and negative WISP-2 expression were significantly associated with differentiation and TMN stage in ACs. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that either elevated FGFBP1 (p < 0.001) or lowered WISP-2 (p < 0.001) expression was closely associated with decreased overall survival in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that positive FGFBP1 expression (p = 0.001) or negative WISP-2 expression (p = 0.035 for SC/ASC and p = 0.009 for AC) is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in both SC/ASC and AC patients. We also revealed that differentiation, tumor size, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, invasion, and surgical procedure were associated with survival of both SC/ASC and AC patients.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggested that the overexpression of FGFBP1 or loss of WISP-2 expression is closely related to the metastasis, invasion and poor prognosis of gallbladder cancer.

Squamous cell and adenosquamous carcinomas of the gallbladder: clinicopathological analysis of 34 cases identified in 606 carcinomas

The information in the literature on squamous cell and adenosquamous carcinomas of the gallbladder is highly limited. In this study, 606 resected invasive gallbladder carcinoma cases were analyzed. Squamous differentiation was identified in 41 cases (7%). Those without any identifiable glandular-type invasive component were classified as pure squamous cell carcinomas (8 cases) and those with the squamous component constituting 25-99% of the tumors were classified as adenosquamous carcinomas (26 cases) and included into the analysis. The remaining 7 that had <25% squamous component were classified as adenocarcinoma with focal squamous change and excluded. The clinicopathological characteristics of adenosquamous carcinoma/squamous cell carcinomas were documented and contrasted with that of ordinary gallbladder adenocarcinomas. The average patient age was 65 years (range 26-81); female/male ratio, 3.8. In only 13%, there was a preoperative clinical suspicion of malignancy. Grossly, 58% presented as thickening and hardening of the wall and 6% were polypoid. In 12%, mucosa adjacent to the tumor revealed squamous metaplasia. All pure squamous cell carcinomas had prominent keratinization. Giant cells and tumor-infiltrating eosinophils were observed in 29 and 51% of the squamous cell carcinomas/adenosquamous carcinomas versus 10% (P=0.02) and 6% (P=0.001) in gallbladder adenocarcinomas, respectively. All but three cases had 'advanced' (pT2 and above) carcinomas. Follow-up was available in 31 patients: 25 died of disease (median=5 months, range 0-20), and 6 were alive (median=64 months, range 5-112.5). The survival of patients with squamous cell carcinomas/adenosquamous carcinomas was significantly worse than that of gallbladder adenocarcinomas (P=0.003), and this adverse prognosis persisted when compared with stage-matched advanced gallbladder adenocarcinoma cases (median=11.4 months, P=0.01). In conclusion, squamous differentiation was noted in 7% of gallbladder carcinomas. The incidence of adenosquamous carcinoma (defined as 25-99% of the tumor being squamous) was 4%, and that of pure squamous cell carcinoma (without any documented invasive glandular component) was 1%. Pure squamous cell carcinomas often showed prominent keratinization. The overall prognosis of adenosquamous carcinoma/squamous cell carcinoma appears to be even worse than that of ordinary adenocarcinomas. Most patients died within a few months; however, those few who were alive beyond 2 years in this cohort experienced long-term survival.

Clinicopathologic analysis of adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVES

Adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma (AS/SCC) of the gallbladder is rarely encountered and accounts for 1.4-10.6% of all gallbladder carcinomas (GBCs). This study was conducted to investigate the clinicopathologic features of AS/SCC of gallbladder.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed 16 cases of pathologically proven AS/SCC of the gallbladder among 404 patients who underwent surgery for GBC from October 1994 to March 2009. Forty-eight conventional GBC patients were selected as controls after matching for age and gender.

RESULTS

Mean patient age was 60.2 years and half were male. Tumor stages in the case group were significantly more advanced than the control group (P < 0.001). R0 resection rates in cases and controls were 50% and 81.2% (P = 0.022). Overall 1-year survival in the case group was significantly poorer than in the control group (18.8% vs. 87.3%, P < 0.001). However, no significant difference in disease-free survival rates was found between cases and controls after R0 resection (P = 0.072).

CONCLUSIONS

AS/SCC of the gallbladder is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, which results in non-curative surgical resection and a poorer prognosis than conventional GBC. However, curative surgical resection of AS/SCC of the gallbladder might result in disease-free survival rates that are comparable with those of conventional GBC.

Combined major hepatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy for locally advanced biliary carcinoma: long-term results

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to define the role of combined major hepatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy in the surgical management of biliary carcinoma and to identify potential candidates for this aggressive procedure.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 28 patients who underwent a combined major hepatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy for extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 17) or gallbladder carcinoma (n = 11). Major hepatectomy was defined as hemihepatectomy or more extensive hepatectomy. Altogether, 11 patients underwent a Whipple procedure, and 17 had a pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy. The median follow-up time was 169 months.

RESULTS

Morbidity and in-hospital mortality were 82% and 21%, respectively. Overall cumulative survival rates after resection were 32% at 2 years and 11% at 5 years (median survival time 9 months). The median survival time was 6 months with a 2-year survival rate of 0% in 11 patients with residual tumor, whereas the median survival time was 26 months with a 5-year survival rate of 18% in 17 patients with no residual tumor (P = 0.0012). Residual tumor status was the only independent prognostic factor of significance (relative risk 4.65; P = 0.003). There were three 5-year survivors (two with diffuse cholangiocarcinoma and one with gallbladder carcinoma with no bile duct involvement) among the patients with no residual tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined major hepatectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy provides survival benefit for some patients with locally advanced biliary carcinoma only if potentially curative (R0) resection is feasible. Patients with diffuse cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder carcinoma with no bile duct involvement are potential candidates for this aggressive procedure.

Gallbladder cancer--a comprehensive review

AIM

Gallbladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer involving the gastrointestinal tract, but it is the most common malignant tumour of the biliary tract worldwide. The percentage of patients diagnosed to have gallbladder cancer after simple cholecystectomy for presumed gallbladder stone disease is 0.5-1.5%. This tumour is traditionally regarded as a highly lethal disease with an overall 5-year survival of less than 5%. The marked improvement in the outcome of patients with gallbladder cancer in the last decade is because of the aggressive radical surgical approach that has been adopted, and improvements in surgical techniques and peri-operative care. This article aims to review the current approach to the management of gallbladder cancer.

METHODS

A Medline, PubMed database search was performed to identify articles published from 1990 to 2007 using the keywords 'carcinoma of gallbladder', 'gallbladder cancer', 'gallbladder neoplasm' and 'cholecystectomy'.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

The overall 5-year survival for patients with gallbladder cancer who underwent Ro curative resection was reported to range from 21% to 69%. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is absolutely contraindicated when gallbladder cancer is known or suspected pre-operatively. Patients with a pre-operative suspicion of gallbladder cancer should undergo open exploration and cholecystectomy after proper pre-operative assessment. For patients whose cancer is an incidental finding on pathological review, a second radical resection is indicated except for Tis and T1a disease. There is still controversy for the optimal management of T1b disease. Although the role of surgery for advanced disease remains controversial, patients with advanced gallbladder cancer can benefit from radical resection, provided a potentially curative Ro resection is possible. There is still no effective adjuvant therapy for gallbladder cancer.

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct: clinicopathologic and radiologic features

BACKGROUND

To retrospectively analyze computed tomography (CT) features of adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the extrahepatic bile duct and to correlate them with pathologic findings.

METHODS

Six patients who underwent radical surgical resection for ASC of extrahepatic bile duct were included. CT and pathologic findings were analyzed and correlated with each other.

RESULTS

Five ASCs were periductal infiltrative type and the remaining one was intraductal polypoid type. Histologically, ASC was composed of squamous and glandular components which mixed in an intermingled pattern and was characterized by a high local aggressiveness mainly due to the squamous component. The most common CT findings were a segmental wall thickening with delayed enhancement. Overall, CT features were well correlated with pathologic findings. However, CT tended to underestimate radial extent of the tumor compared with histologic findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Histopathologically, ASC of the extrahepatic bile duct is characterized by greater local aggressiveness. However, their CT findings are not quite different from those of usual adenocarcinoma due to the unique geographic characteristic of being located at a very limited space.

[Adenosquamous and squamous carcinoma of the gallbladder]

INTRODUCTION

Squamous and adenosquamous carcinomas of the gallbladder have poor prognosis. Because these tumors are silent in the initial stage, they are generally diagnosed in advanced stages.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

We performed a retrospective observational study of five patients with squamous or adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder. There were two women and three men with a mean age of 71 years (range, 68-75). All patients showed abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and weight lost (4-8 kg). One patient presented with acute cholecystitis. None of the patients had jaundice and all had gallstone disease.

RESULTS

Surgery was performed in all patients. Extended cholecystectomy was performed in three patients, cholecystectomy and bile drainage in one patient, and colonic bypass and cholecystectomy in the remaining patient. Pathologic analysis revealed epidermoid carcinoma in two patients and adenosquamous carcinoma in three patients. Two patients were treated with adjuvant chemotherapy. All died within 6 months of surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

In both histological types of gallbladder carcinoma, treatment depends on the grade of local and regional invasion and tumor spread at diagnosis.

Adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma is a rare histopathologic subtype of gallbladder malignancy. Its clinical features have rarely been described, and its differences from the major histopathologic subtype, adenocarcinoma, remain uncertain.

METHODS

All patients with gallbladder carcinoma were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with a histopathologic subtype of either adenosquamous (n = 12) or squamous cell (n = 2) carcinoma were categorized to group I, and patients with adenocarcinoma were categorized to group II. The clinical characteristics and outcomes of these two groups were compared.

RESULTS

The two groups were generally no different in clinical features. However, tumor stages of group I patients were significantly advanced (P = 0.048) and included liver involvement (P = 0.008). The outcomes of advanced-stage patients in group II were not different from group I (P = 0.413). Nevertheless, patients in both groups with advanced stage pT who had undergone curative resection showed significantly better survival curves than patients who had undergone non-curative resection (P = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with adenosquamous/squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder were generally similar to those with adenocarcinoma in clinical characteristics, but had a tendency for liver infiltration. Although the two histopathologic subtypes of the gallbladder carcinoma had similar poor outcomes, better survival could be obtained by performing curative resection for these patients.

The surgical management of incidental gallbladder carcinoma

AIMS

To report the surgical management of carcinoma of the gallbladder.

METHODS

A retrospective study in 65 patients who underwent simple (SC) or extended (EC) cholecystectomy for gallbladder carcinoma.

RESULTS

28 patients underwent extended cholecystectomy (EC) and 37 had simple cholecystectomy (SC). The multivariate analysis showed that lymph-node status (positive vs negative, p=0.001, Hazard Ratio [HR]:14.2, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]:3.1-62.8) and type of surgery (SC vs EC, p=0.01, HR:10.2, 95% CI:1.7-62.8) were the most important prognostic factors related to death. This analysis indicated that EC in those with pT(2) or pT(3) was associated with a reduce hazard of death by 90% in the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONS

In gallbladder cancer patients who diagnose after simple cholecystectomy, those with pT(1) with clear margins need no further surgery. In patients with pT(2) or pT(3) incidental carcinoma, the completion radical re-operation is the only chance for long-term survival.

Squamous metaplasia of Paget's disease

A patient had triple extramammary Paget's disease of both axillary and genital regions. Right inguinal lymphadenopathy was found 1 year after excision of all the skin lesions. Excisional biopsy of the lymph node demonstrated a mixture of Paget cells and atypical squamoid cells with horn pearls suggestive of keratinization. The squamoid cells were positive for cytokeratin 10, a marker of suprabasal epidermis, and also positive for laminin gamma2 which is often expressed in invasive squamous cell carcinoma. The coexistence of these different cells within the same tumour island suggested that the squamoid cells derived from metaplasia of Paget cells.