Search

Gallbladder cancer is a rare but aggressive malignancy. Surgical resection is recommended for gallbladder polyps ≥10 mm. For gallbladder wall thickening, resection is recommended if malignancy cannot be excluded. The incidence of gallbladder malignancy after cholecystectomy with indications of polyps or wall thickening in the Swedish population is not known.A retrospective study was performed at Linköping University Hospital and included patients who underwent cholecystectomy 2010 - 2018. All cholecystectomies performed due to gallbladder polyps or gallbladder wall thickening without other preoperative malignant signs were identified. Preoperative radiological examinations were re-analysed by a single radiologist. Medical records and histopathology reports were analysed.In all, 102 patients were included, of whom 65 were diagnosed with gallbladder polyps and 37 with gallbladder wall thickening. In each group, one patient (1.5% and 2.7% in each group) had gallbladder malignancy ≥ pT1b.Two (3.1%) and three (8.1%) patients with gallbladder malignancy T1b were identified in each group.This study indicates that the incidence of malignancy is low without other malignant signs beyond gallbladder polyps and/or gallbladder wall thickening. We propose that these patients should be discussed at a multidisciplinary tumour board. If the polyp is 10-15 mm or if the gallbladder wall is thickened but no other malignant signs are observed, cholecystectomy can be safely performed by an experienced general surgeon at a general surgery unit. If the histopathology indicates ≥ pT1b, the patient should be referred immediately to a hepatobiliary centre for liver and lymph node resection.

Background: The aim was to identify and characterize rare malignancies of the gallbladder, incidentally found at cholecystectomy, and describe the diagnostic work-up, treatment and outcome. Methods: Data from cholecystectomies during 2007-2014 registered in the Swedish Register for Gallstone Surgery (GallRiks) were analyzed for incidental cancer. For completion of the pathology report, data were linked with the Swedish Registry for Cancer in the liver and biliary tract (SweLiv) and/or the Swedish Cancer Registry. Results: From 36,355 patients that underwent cholecystectomy on a benign indication 215 cases of incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC) were identified. In total seven patients with metastases to the gallbladder from different primary tumors (breast cancer, malignant melanoma, gastric cancer, renal cell carcinoma, upper gastrointestinal cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer) and three patients with lymphoma involvement of the gallbladder were found. Most patients were female with no difference between the groups (8/10 versus 171/215). The median age for the metastasis and lymphoma (MOL) group was equal to the IGBC group, 70 (64-72) years versus 70 (63-78) years. All patients in the MOL group underwent preoperative imaging with ultrasound or computed tomography, on which no metastases were identified. In only two patients a tumor was seen by the surgeon during the perioperative examination of the gallbladder. The median survival was 5.8 months for MOL patients and 23 months for IGBC patients. Conclusion: Metastases and lymphoma of the gallbladder are rare. Traditional imaging methods prior to cholecystectomy may miss gallbladder malignancies. A liberal approach of histopathological analysis of the gallbladder should be applied.