T-category reflects the histopathologic characteristics of gallbladder cancer

Surgical treatment of advanced gallbladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

Radical lymph node dissection in surgery for advanced gallbladder cancer is controversial. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the different extent of lymph node dissection for N2 stage gallbladder cancer patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was made of 60 patients with N2 stage who underwent standard regional lymphadenectomy (SRLN) and extended regional lymphadenectomy (ERLN). Between September 2000 and June 2011, 60 advanced gallbladder cancer patients with N2 stage of lymph node metastasis were included in this study. The curative effects with different extent of lymphadenctomy for lymph node N2 stage of gallbladder cancer patients were compared.

RESULTS

The median survival time was 34.83 months in the SRLN group and 30.28 months in the ERLN group. There was no significant difference of survival rate between SRLN and ERLN group (P=0.51). Postoperative major morbidity and mortality rates were 64.3% and 7.14% in the SRLN group, 81.3% and 9.34% in the ERLN group, respectively. Moreover, the number of positive lymph nodes and chemotherapy were found to correlate with survival on univariate analyses (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

For advanced gallbladder patients with N2 stage lymph node metastasis, ERLN cannot provide a significant survival benefit over SRLN and the rate of morbidity and mortality in ERLN is exceptionally high. ERLN therefore should not be considered in the advanced gallbladder cancers with N2 stage.

Clinicopathological features of gallbladder papillary adenocarcinoma

Although patients with gallbladder papillary adenocarcinoma (GBPA) appear to have better prognoses than patients with other pathological subtypes of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC), the clinicopathological features and outcomes of GBPA have not been fully explored. This study therefore analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of GBPA.This study included 16 patients with GBPA and 101 with gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBA) not otherwise specified (NOS), all diagnosed pathologically after surgical resection. Clinicopathological and survival data were retrospectively collected and compared. Fever was significantly more common in GBPA (7/16 vs 10/101; P = 0.000). Serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 level was increased in 1 of 9 patients with GBPA and 39 of 76 with GBA (P = 0.022). More patients with GBPA underwent curative resection (15/16 vs 54/101; P = 0.009). Pathologically, patients with GBPA were at much earlier tumor (T) (4 in situ, 8 T1; P = 0.000) and Tumor, Node, Metastases (TNM) stages (P = 0.000). The overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were significantly higher in patients with GBPA (100%, 76.9%, and 76.9%, respectively), than in patients with GBA (72.2%, 38.8%, and 31.0%, respectively; P = 0.001). Preoperative jaundice (odds ratio 7.69; 95% confidence interval, 1.53-38.76; P = 0.013) was a significant prognostic factor in patients with GBA, but was no longer significant when the patients with GBA and GBPA were pooled together. The clinicopathological features of patients with GBPA differed from those in patients with GBA (not otherwise specified). Pooling of patients may mask prognostic factors in each group.