Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the gallbladder: A rare form of gallbladder cancer

First report on establishment and characterization of the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line CBC2T-2

BACKGROUND

Extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma is extremely rare in clinical practice. These cells consist of both epithelial and mesenchymal cells. Patient-derived cell lines that maintain tumor characteristics are valuable tools for studying the molecular mechanisms associated with carcinosarcoma. However, cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell lines are not available in cell banks.

AIM

To establish and characterize a new extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line, namely CBC2T-2.

METHODS

We conducted a short tandem repeat (STR) test to confirm the identity of the CBC2T-2 cell line. Furthermore, we assessed the migratory and invasive properties of the cells and performed clonogenicity assay to evaluate the ability of individual cells to form colonies. The tumorigenic potential of CBC2T-2 cells was tested in vivo using non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. The cells were injected subcutaneously and tumor formation was observed. In addition, immunohistochemical analysis was carried out to examine the expression of epithelial marker CK19 and mesenchymal marker vimentin in both CBC2T-2 cells and xenografts. The CBC2T-2 cell line was used to screen the potential therapeutic effects of various clinical agents in patients with cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma. Lastly, whole-exome sequencing was performed to identify genetic alterations and screen for somatic mutations in the CBC2T-2 cell line.

RESULTS

The STR test showed that there was no cross-contamination and the results were identical to those of the original tissue. The cells showed round or oval-shaped epithelioid cells and mesenchymal cells with spindle-shaped or elongated morphology. The cells exhibited a high proliferation ratio with a doubling time of 47.11 h. This cell line has migratory, invasive, and clonogenic abilities. The chromosomes in the CBC2T-2 cells were polyploidy, with numbers ranging from 69 to 79. The subcutaneous tumorigenic assay confirmed the in vivo tumorigenic ability of CBC2T-2 cells in NOD/SCID mice. CBC2T-2 cells and xenografts were positive for both the epithelial marker, CK19, and the mesenchymal marker, vimentin. These results suggest that CBC2T-2 cells may have both epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics. The cells were also used to screen clinical agents in patients with cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma, and a combination of paclitaxel and gemcitabine was found to be the most effective treatment option.

CONCLUSION

We established the first human cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma cell line, CBC2T-2, with stable biogenetic traits. This cell line, as a research model, has a high clinical value and would facilitate the understanding of the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma sarcoma.

Carcinosarcoma of gallbladder: A world review

BACKGROUND

Gallbladder carcinosarcoma is a rare hepatobiliary tumor comprising of both carcinomatous and sarcomatous components. Due to its rarity, the literature with regards to the topic is scarce and currently lacking, spanning less than 100 cases.

AIM

To summarize the current literature on gallbladder carcinosarcoma.

METHODS

A literature review was performed on the PubMed database using the keywords “Gallbladder” AND “Carcinosarcoma” from 1970 to 2021. Additionally, similar searches were performed on MEDLINE and Web of Science.

RESULTS

Risk factors noted include female gender, gallstones and chronic cholecystitis. In the absence of any diagnostic biochemical testing or tumor markers, imaging modality serves as the key initial impression tool, which can be histologically confirmed only post-resection. While surgery is the only curative option, the use of adjunctive chemotherapy has been considered on top of excision in recent years, with some success.

CONCLUSION

While this study has taken steps to bridge the gap in the literature, more cases should be reported to further ascertain the current associations and management potential for gallbladder carcinosarcoma.

Gallbladder carcinosarcoma: current perspectives and new development

Introduction: Gallbladder carcinosarcoma (GBCS) is a rare neoplasm, and previous studies regarding to GBCS were case reports/case series, absence of large retrospective analyses, or systemic review. This review summarizes the current literature on accurate information of GBCS to assist clinicians to accurately diagnose and treat this malignancy.Areas covered: The authors retrieved relevant documents of GBCS from PubMed and Medline. This review elaborates on the knowledge of GBCS covering epidemiology, potential mechanism, clinical manifestation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.Expert opinion: The majority of GBCS patients are easily misdiagnosed as GBC and usually treated as GBC. However, the biological behavior and outcome of GBCS is different from that of GBC. GBCS should be considered as a separate disease.

Colon metastasis from recurrent gallbladder cancer: a case report

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is associated with a poor prognosis. Colonic metastases representing approximately 1% of total colorectal cancers, are very rarely reported. According to more recent data in the literature, cases of colon metastases from GBC have not been reported. We report the case of a 78-year-old woman who underwent a cholecystectomy in 2017, for a diffuse carcinoma in situ and an infiltrating adenocarcinoma pT2a G2; she completed six months of adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy and started a regular follow up in our institution. Three years later she came to our observation after having developed severe anemia and she was diagnosed synchronous liver and colonic metastases from GBC immunohistologically confirmed. The case was collegially evaluated by a multidisciplinary team. In consideration of the progressive deterioration of the clinical conditions, the extension of the primary GBC and the patient's age, it was decided to start in July 2020 a first-line mono-chemotherapy treatment with gemcitabine. This is probably the first reported case of colonic metastasis in a patient with a recurrent GBC with synchronous liver involvement. We conclude that though colon is a rare metastatic site of GBC, one should keep vigilance for colon metastases to prevent and detect their occurrence in symptomatic cases in order to improve the survival.

Carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder diagnosed in a cholecystectomy specimen

A 79-year-old male patient with complicated cholecystitis underwent cholecystectomy. In the anatomopathological study of the surgical specimen an adenocarcinoma with sarcomatoid differentiation of the chondrosarcoma type was diagnosed. This rare tumor has a worse prognosis than the usual adenocarcinomas. Although in patients with localized disease surgery can be curative, most cases debut with disseminated tumor.

Gallbladder cancer of two histological origins: A case report and review of literature

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Gallbladder carcinosarcoma is a rare cancer with a worldwide prevalence of less than 1%.

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The pathogenesis of these tumors is not yet fully understood, due to the low incidence of these tumors.

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Only 30% are suspected pre-operatively.

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The prognosis of these tumors is poor even after complete resection with a survival rate range from 2.9 to 6 months.

Introduction and importance

Carcinosarcoma is an extremely rare subtype of gallbladder cancer with a worldwide prevalence of less than 1%. Carcinosarcomas are composed of a mixture of epithelial and mesenchymal components. Preoperative diagnosis of carcinosarcoma is challenging considering the non-specific clinical presentation and radiological findings.

Case presentation

A 63 years old female presented with right hypochondrium abdominal pain for 6 months. CA 19.9 level was high. Computed tomography of abdomen showed gallstones with enhancing wall thickening, along with enlarged portacaval lymph node. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy of porta hepatis lymph node was done which showed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Hence, she underwent extended cholecystectomy with extended porta hepatis lymph node dissection. Final histopathological result showed carcinosarcoma (pT2a, pN1 M0). Unfortunately, she passed away 7 months post-operatively.

Clinical discussion

The majority of patients with carcinosarcomas are asymptomatic but can develop unspecific symptoms in advanced stages. The diagnosis is usually made incidentally on histopathological examination. Surgical resection is the mainstay treatment and longer survival can be achieved if combined with chemotherapy and radiation therapy. BILCAP trial suggested that capecitabine can improve survival in patients with gallbladder cancer. Unfortunately, even with these treatment modalities prognosis remains poor with a survival rate ranging from 2.9 to 6 months.

Conclusion

Gallbladder carcinosarcoma is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. However, some cases reported a good survival rate after surgery. Further research is needed to understand the behavior of these tumors well and identify the role of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and which patients would benefit the most from surgery.