Double cancer of the gallbladder and common bile duct associated with an anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal junction without a choledochal cyst: report of a case

Diagnostic usefulness of SpyGlass in intracholecystic papillary neoplasm with pancreaticobiliary maljunction: a case report and comparison with conventional gallbladder cancer with pancreaticobiliary maljunction

BACKGROUND

Intracholecystic papillary neoplasm (ICPN) is one of the precursors of gallbladder cancer defined in the 2010 World Health Organization classification of tumors. We herein report ICPN with pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM), which is a high-risk factor for biliary cancer.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 57-year-old female presented with abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed a swollen appendix and gallbladder nodules with bile duct dilatation. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed a gallbladder tumor spreading into the cystic duct confluence accompanying PBM. Based on papillary tumors around the cystic duct detected using the SpyGlass DS II Direct Visualization System (SpyGlass DS), ICPN was suspected. We performed extended cholecystectomy, extrahepatic bile duct resection, and appendectomy with a diagnosis of ICPN and PBM. The pathological diagnosis was ICPN (90 × 50 mm) with high-grade dysplasia spreading into the common bile duct. The absence of residual cancer in the resected specimen was pathologically confirmed. P53 staining was totally negative in both the tumor and normal epithelium. The overexpression of CTNNB1 was not observed.

CONCLUSIONS

We encountered a patient with a very rare gallbladder tumor, ICPN with PBM. SpyGlass DS contributed to a precise assessment of the extent of the tumor as well as a qualitative diagnosis.

Multiple Cancers of the Biliary Tract and Pancreatic Duct after Cholecystectomy for Gallbladder Cancer in a Patient with Pancreaticobiliary Maljunction

We herein report the rare case of a 76-year-old woman who underwent cholecystectomy with bile duct resection for advanced gallbladder cancer associated with pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) and subsequently developed multiple cancers of the pancreaticobiliary system (the distal bile duct, intrahepatic duct and pancreatic duct) after the operation. We performed conventional endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) using a side-viewing scope to evaluate the masses in the distal bile duct and the pancreatic duct. We also performed ERCP using double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) to observe the mass in the intrahepatic duct. It was possible to directly observe the lesion using DBE and to perform a biopsy under visual control. All lesions were correctly diagnosed by the combination of ERCP using different endoscopes. The present case suggests that it is necessary to pay close attention (with regard to carcinogenesis) to the whole pancreaticobiliary system in patients with PBM. In addition, the combination of ERCP using DBE and a side-viewing scope may be useful for making a precise diagnosis in patients with altered biliary anatomy who have multiple cancers of the pancreaticobiliary system.

p53 gene mutation and p53 protein overexpression in a patient with simultaneous double cancer of the gallbladder and bile duct associated with pancreaticobiliary maljunction

Pancreaticobiliary maljunction (PBM) is associated with the occurrence of biliary cancer due to pancreatobiliary reflux. We present a case of simultaneous double cancer of the gallbladder and bile duct. A 77-year-old woman who had jaundice, intra- and extra-hepatic biliary ductal dilatation and a space-occupying lesion in the gallbladder and lower bile duct underwent pancreatoduodenectomy. The gallbladder cancer showed papillary carcinoma without mutation of the K-ras gene and with p53 non-sense mutation of CCA (Pro) to CA (Stop) on codon 301 in exon 8. The bile duct cancer revealed a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma without mutation of the K-ras gene and with p53 miss-sense mutation of GTG (Val) to GAG (Glu) on codon 272 in exon 8. There were no mutations of either the K-ras or p53 gene in non-cancerous epithelia. In contrast, only the mucosa of the common channel had p53 protein accumulation and high cell proliferation activity. Therefore, the genetic pathway might be the same in both the gallbladder and bile duct cancer, and a high potential for carcinogenesis might be present in the epithelium of the common channel in patients with PBM.

Type VI biliary cyst: report of a case

An isolated cyst of the cystic duct is an extremely rare lesion. Only single case reports are documented in the literature. The most accepted classification system of biliary cysts, the Todani classification, does not include this lesion. We report a case of isolated cyst of the cystic duct. The initial referral was for evaluation of a gallbladder mass discovered during evaluation of abdominal pain. Preoperative diagnosis was challenging as multiple imaging studies were unable to differentiate this lesion from a choledochal cyst. Surgical planning thus included cyst excision and biliary reconstruction. Operative exploration revealed a type VI biliary cyst and cholecystectomy with cystic duct ligation near the common bile duct was curative.

Simultaneous gallbladder and bile duct cancers: revisiting the pathological possibilities

The pathogenesis of gallbladder cancer presenting synchronously with malignancy of the bile duct has not been clearly understood. The possible causes for the simultaneous presence of these tumors could be due to local spread, metastases, de novo multifocal origin, or as part of a field change in the extrahepatic biliary apparatus. In this article, we discuss the cases of four patients with simultaneous gallbladder and bile duct malignancies and analyze their individual pathologies to provide an explanation into the mechanisms that may play a role in such conditions.

Bile duct cyst as precursor to biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Bile duct cysts (BDC) are rare, of uncertain origin, and occur most often in young females of Asian descent. Increasingly, BDCs are reported in the Western population, often with coexistent biliary tract cancer.

METHODS

The PubMed and Medline literature databases were searched for pertinent publications regarding the clinical association and molecular biological development of cancerogenesis in BDC. Reports from the last two decades were emphasized.

RESULTS

Cancer is found in 10-30% of adults with BDC. The cancer-risk is low in childhood (<1% in the first decade), and shows a clear increase with age. Cholangiocarcinoma is the most common malignancy in BDC, and represents a 20- to 30-fold risk compared to the general population. The mean age of malignancy in BDC is 32 years (about two decades earlier than in the general population). Type I and type IV cysts show a higher cancer incidence, even after cyst excision. Pathological findings strongly suggest a hyperplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence in carcinogenesis of pancreatico-biliary maljunction (PBM). Reflux of pancreatic enzymes, amylase, bile stasis, and an increased intraductal concentration of bile acids contribute to proliferative activity of bile acids in BDC. While microsatellite instability, k-ras mutations, expression of COX-2 and bcl-2, and increased telomerase activity seem to occur early; involvement of cyclin D1, beta-catenin, DPC-4/Smad4 and p53 appear later in carcinogenesis.

CONCLUSION

Increased molecular knowledge substantiates the clinically related cancer-risk in BDC. Surgery remains the golden standard for treatment, relieves patients from associated complications, and interrupts the cancerous potential in BDC.

Extracystic biliary carcinoma associated with anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction and cysts

Anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction with cystic dilatation of the biliary tract is usually associated with carcinoma arising from the cyst wall. We report an extracystic location of biliary carcinoma in the presence of anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction and cysts in a patient with obstruction of the origin of the left hepatic duct who underwent hepatobiliary resection. Cholangiocarcinoma was found to have arisen in a noncystic left hepatic duct, in conjunction with cystic dilatation involving both the cystic and common bile ducts. The present case supports a relationship between anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction and biliary carcinogenesis that may affect the extracystic biliary tree.

Papillary carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct: characteristic features and implications in surgical treatment

BACKGROUND

Papillary carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile duct presents clinically and histologically distinct features relevant to surgical decision-making.

STUDY DESIGN

Serial sections of 15 specimens of resected papillary carcinoma of the bile duct were histologically examined to determine mode of spread, possibility of multicentric tumor origins, and coincidence with other neoplastic lesions. The presence of anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union was also investigated. These characteristics were considered with regard to surgical treatment.

RESULTS

Three patients displaying pancreaticobiliary maljunction and one of three patients with a long common channel (> or = 8 mm) exhibited multicentric tumors. Eight patients (53%) demonstrated superficial spread along a mean length of 37.8 mm (range, 5 to 67 mm) of bile duct mucosa. Multicentric tumors developed synchronously in 4 patients, while metachronous tumors were identified in three patients displaying tumor histology similar to the primary lesions. Two of these three underwent successful repeated resection. Concomitant neoplastic lesions in the biliary tract were identified as mucosal dysplasia in four patients and cholangiocellular carcinoma of the liver in two. All tumors but one were removed via hepatic lobectomy or pancreatoduodenectomy, or both, resulting in a 5-year survival rate of 60%.

CONCLUSIONS

Aggressive resection offers clear survival benefits for patients presenting with tumors displaying extensive superficial spread or multicentric origins. Closer attention should be paid to long common channels in relation to carcinogenesis of the bile duct, in addition to pancreaticobiliary maljunction. The risk of secondary tumor development remains, particularly in patients with pancreaticobiliary maljunction even after excision of the tumor-bearing extrahepatic bile duct.