Gallbladder carcinoma and surgical treatment

Do histopathologic findings improve by increasing the sample size in cholecystectomies?

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder diseases present with cholelithiasis in a wide spectrum of adenomas and cancers. Two or three specimens are sampled in cholecystectomies in routine pathology practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the increase in frequency of histologic alterations in cholecystectomies, particularly precancerous lesions, by increasing the sample size to understand the carcinoma pathway.

METHODS

Cholecystectomies of 432 patients with pathology records and materials from two medical centers were collected, and two groups were created. Initial data with two or three samples were allocated to Group 1 and the new six samples with the initial ones were allocated to Group 2. Hematoxylin and eosin (HandE) sections were examined for histopathologic alterations, and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) Alcian blue (pH 2.5) and high iron diamine (pH 2.5) stains were used to signify the mucin profile in case of metaplasias. For the comparison of findings, non-parametric tests, McNemar's tests, chi-squared tests and Fisher's exact test were performed.

RESULTS

Of the 432 patients, 308 (71.3%) patients were female and 124 (28.7%) patients were male. The mean age of patients was 47.9±14.6 years. Cholesterolosis was observed in 95 (22%) patients in Group 1 and 108 (25%) patients in Group 2. Gallstones were detected in 255 (59%) of the cholecystectomies. There was a significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 by increasing the sample size when we compared cholesterolosis, metaplasia and polyps (P<0.05). Cholecystitis and dysplasia rates were the same in both of the groups. There was no cancer determined.

CONCLUSION

Increasing the sample size in cholecystectomies increased the diagnosis of some histologic alterations, but further studies with a larger number of samples over a longer period time might increase the ability to determine precancerous lesions and concomitants.

Outcomes and prognostic factors in gallbladder cancer: a single-centre experience

INTRODUCTION

Gallbladder cancer is the most common malignant tumour of the biliary system with an extraordinarily poor prognosis. In this study, we retrospectively evaluated forty-two patients with histologically proven gallbladder cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Estimated survival rates were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were assessed using the logrank test. The GKR (combined registry of cancer) and demographic data were used to gain information on community cancer statistics.

RESULTS

In this study, patients with metastases showed poorer survival rates. Furthermore, the survival was significantly better in patients with R0 resections, smaller tumour sizes and without lymph node infiltration. T stage, M stage and R stage were independent prognostic parameters. Sex and age had no significant effect on survival. Also, we found that patients with incidental gallbladder cancer and those with cholecystolithiasis showed significantly better survival rates. Demographic analyses of the study group confirmed a high coverage of our institution for incident cases in our catchment area and no significant regional deviations from the expected incidence of gallbladder cancer.

CONCLUSION

Despite differences in the incidence in different geographical areas, gallbladder cancer appears to be fairly normally distributed in Western Pomerania, a predominantly rural area of Northeastern Germany. Coverage of incident cases in our catchment area was high. T stage, M stage and R stage were independent prognostic factors in our study. We conclude that, whenever possible, an R0 resection should be the surgical goal in all patients staged resectable before surgery, but heroic resections in patients with highly advanced cancer disease or severe accompanying non-tumour diseases are not warranted.

The time of diagnosis impacts surgical management but not the outcome of patients with gallbladder carcinoma

Background

Only 50% of gallbladder cancers (GBC) are recognized before operation and the remaining tumors are diagnosed during surgery or afterwards by the pathologist. These situations may demand substantial modifications of the proceeding during surgery as well as the need for reoperation in some cases. Therefore, the time of diagnosis may strongly influence the surgical management of GBC and the prognosis of the patients.

Methods

Records and follow-up of 152 patients with gallbladder carcinoma who underwent surgery between 1980 and 2004 were examined according to the time of diagnosis, TNM staging system, surgical procedures, morbidity and predictors of survival. There were 76 patients with preoperative diagnosis of GBC (50%; group1), 44 patients with intraoperative diagnosis (29%; group 2) and 32 patients (21%; group 3) with postoperatively incidental finding of GBC. In all cases radical resection of the GBC was intended, except in 5 patients from group 1. Surgical procedures comprised from simple cholecystectomy to multivisceral resections.

Results

Overall 5-year survival rate was 7% with a significantly better median survival in group 3 (53.2 month), when compared to only 6.1 month (group 2) and 5.4 month (group 1), respectively. Findings at operation forced significant modifications of the surgical strategy in 85%. Complete resection of GBC was achieved in 38% of the patients. Stage- dependent survival was comparable between the groups following R0 resection. Tumor stage, in particular the nodal status and radicality of the procedure, but not the time of diagnosis were the most powerful predictors of outcome.

Conclusions

Complete tumor resection may provide long-term survival even in locally advanced GBC. Although the time of diagnosis of GBC causes significant changes of the intended procedures during and after surgery, it has no influence on the prognosis provided that radical (R0) resection was accomplished.

Imagerie des épaississements de la paroi vésiculaire

Thickening of the gallbladder wall may result from a large spectrum of pathological conditions, intrinsic as well as extrinsic to the biliary tract, and may have different appearances. Accurate diagnosis is usually established after a correlation of imaging findings, laboratory data and clinical history. US remains the initial imaging modality for the evaluation of acute right upper quadrant pain. CT and MRI are complementary to US and have an increasing role in assessing a thickened-wall gallbladder.

Gallstone disease after extended (D2) lymph node dissection for gastric cancer

Few studies have reported the incidence and clinical outcomes of gallstone disease after extended (D2) lymph node dissection for gastric cancer. The present study was designed to retrospectively compare limited (D1) and D2 dissections in terms of gallstone formation, presentation of gallstones, and surgery for gallstone disease. A total of 805 Japanese gastric cancer patients (595 male, 210 female) who underwent curative resection with D1 (n = 490) or D2 (n = 315) dissection were retrospectively reviewed. Of those subjects followed for 70.5 +/- 44.3 months (range: 2-196 months), 102 (12.7%) developed gallstones. The incidence of gallstone formation was higher in the D2 group than in the D1 group (17.8% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.001). The interval between gastrectomy and detection of gallstones was shorter in the D2 group than in the Dl group (18.8 +/- 11.4 months vs. 29.4 +/- 18.3 months, p = 0.002). Of those with gallstones followed for 48.0 +/- 28.6 months (range: 1-158 months), 74 (72.5%) remained asymptomatic, and 15 (14.7%) experienced mild biliary pain. Thirteen patients (12.7%) developed recurrent biliary pain (n = 3) or biliary complications (n = 10; 6 acute cholecystitis, 3 obstructive jaundice, and 1 cholangitis), and required surgical treatment. Surgery was more frequently sought in the D2 group than in the D1 group (19.5% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.033). In conclusion, patients with D2 dissection developed gallstones more frequently and earlier than patients with D1 dissection. Of those with gallstones, patients with D2 dissection required surgery more often than patients with D1 dissection. A closer follow-up should be mandatory for gallstone disease after D2 dissection, but further studies are needed before generalizations can be made.

Intra-arterial chemotherapy with mitomycin C in gallbladder cancer: A follow-up study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

There is only limited and somewhat controversial information available on hepatic artery infusion of cytotoxic agents in gallbladder cancer. We report the results of 5-year follow-up of all gallbladder cancer patients treated with surgery and intra-arterial mitomycin C or mitomycin C alone in our hospital during 15 years.

METHODS

Thirty-five patients with gallbladder cancer were treated with superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy (SIAC) with mitomycin C during 1981-1996. Survival was measured from diagnosis, and all patients were followed up until death or the end of January 2002. Cumulative survival rates and median survival times were calculated for all patients, according to response to treatment and staging. The data are presented as 5-year survival.

RESULTS

Median survival times after SIAC for all patients, responders, and non-responders were 48, 60+, and 8.5 months, respectively. Overall response rate was 60%. Survival was significantly better for tumors limited to the gallbladder wall, as expected. Drug toxicity occurred in half of the patients, requiring cessation of chemotherapy in 25% of the cases.

CONCLUSIONS

The median survival of gallbladder cancer patients treated with surgery and SIAC seems to be significantly better compared to the previously reported outcome of surgical treatment alone. Drug toxicity limits the use of i.a. chemotherapy and requires careful monitoring for early side-effects.

EUS changes diagnosis from pancreatic to gallbladder carcinoma

A patient was referred for endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) for preoperative staging of what was believed to be pancreatic cancer, based on minimal findings on computed tomography (CT) and highly elevated CA19-9. EUS imaged a normal pancreas, but a tumor mass was identified in the gallbladder, and proven to be adenocarcinoma using EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration (FNA). Open cholecystectomy was curative. CA19-9 is not a highly specific marker. EUS is emerging as a highly sensitive and specific test for pancreatic cancer. EUS can complement other imaging modalities, and reveal unsuspected pathologies, such as in the patient described in this report, with major clinical impact.

Imaging benign and malignant disease of the gallbladder

This article reviews the imaging of various benign and malignant diseases of the gallbladder. Clinical findings and imaging features using ultrasound, CT, and MR for the detection and evaluation of gallstones, acute cholecystitis, xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, adenomyomatosis, and carcinoma of the gallbladder among other disorders are discussed.