Prognostic value and risk stratification of residual disease in patients with incidental gallbladder cancer

New trends in diagnosis and management of gallbladder carcinoma

Gallbladder (GB) carcinoma, although relatively rare, is the most common biliary tree cholangiocarcinoma with aggressiveness and poor prognosis. It is closely associated with cholelithiasis and long-standing large (> 3 cm) gallstones in up to 90% of cases. The other main predisposing factors for GB carcinoma include molecular factors such as mutated genes, GB wall calcification (porcelain) or mainly mucosal microcalcifications, and GB polyps ≥ 1 cm in size. Diagnosis is made by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and, more precisely, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Preoperative staging is of great importance in decision-making regarding therapeutic management. Preoperative staging is based on MRI findings, the leading technique for liver metastasis imaging, enhanced three-phase CT angiography, or magnetic resonance angiography for major vessel assessment. It is also necessary to use positron emission tomography (PET)-CT or 18F-FDG PET-MRI to more accurately detect metastases and any other occult deposits with active metabolic uptake. Staging laparoscopy may detect dissemination not otherwise found in 20%-28.6% of cases. Multimodality treatment is needed, including surgical resection, targeted therapy by biological agents according to molecular testing gene mapping, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. It is of great importance to understand the updated guidelines and current treatment options. The extent of surgical intervention depends on the disease stage, ranging from simple cholecystectomy (T1a) to extended resections and including extended cholecystectomy (T1b), with wide lymph node resection in every case or IV-V segmentectomy (T2), hepatic trisegmentectomy or major hepatectomy accompanied by hepaticojejunostomy Roux-Y, and adjacent organ resection if necessary (T3). Laparoscopic or robotic surgery shows fewer postoperative complications and equivalent oncological outcomes when compared to open surgery, but much attention must be paid to avoiding injuries. In addition to surgery, novel targeted treatment along with immunotherapy and recent improvements in radiotherapy and chemotherapy (neoadjuvant-adjuvant capecitabine, cisplatin, gemcitabine) have yielded promising results even in inoperable cases calling for palliation (T4). Thus, individualized treatment must be applied.

Development and validation of a nomogram to predict overall survival in patients with incidental gallbladder cancer: A retrospective cohort study

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram to predict the overall survival of incidental gallbladder cancer.

Methods

A total of 383 eligible patients with incidental gallbladder cancer diagnosed in Shanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from 2011 to 2021 were retrospectively included. They were randomly divided into a training cohort (70%) and a validation cohort (30%). Univariate and multivariate analyses and the Akaike information criterion were used to identify variables independently associated with overall survival. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to construct the nomogram. The C-index, area under time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves and calibration curves were used to evaluate the discrimination and calibration of the nomogram.

Results

T stage, N metastasis, peritoneal metastasis, reresection and histology were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Based on these predictors, a nomogram was successfully established. The C-index of the nomogram in the training cohort and validation cohort was 0.76 and 0.814, respectively. The AUCs of the nomogram in the training cohort were 0.8, 0.819 and 0.815 for predicting OS at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively, while the AUCs of the nomogram in the validation cohort were 0.846, 0.845 and 0.902 for predicting OS at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. Compared with the 8th AJCC staging system, the AUCs of the nomogram in the present study showed a better discriminative ability. Calibration curves for the training and validation cohorts showed excellent agreement between the predicted and observed outcomes at 1, 3 and 5 years.

Conclusions

The nomogram in this study showed excellent discrimination and calibration in predicting overall survival in patients with incidental gallbladder cancer. It is useful for physicians to obtain accurate long-term survival information and to help them make optimal treatment and follow-up decisions.

Anatomic location of residual disease after initial cholecystectomy independently determines outcomes after re-resection for incidental gallbladder cancer

PURPOSE

This study aimed to elucidate the impact of anatomic location of residual disease (RD) after initial cholecystectomy on survival following re-resection of incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC).

METHODS

Patients with pT2 or pT3 gallbladder cancer (36 with IGBC and 171 with non-IGBC) who underwent resection were analyzed. Patients with IGBC were classified as follows according to the anatomic location of RD after initial cholecystectomy: no RD (group 1); RD in the gallbladder bed, stump of the cystic duct, and/or regional lymph nodes (group 2); and RD in the extrahepatic bile duct and/or distant sites (group 3).

RESULTS

Timing of resection (IGBC vs. non-IGBC) did not affect survival in either multivariate or propensity score matching analysis. RD was found in 16 (44.4%) of the 36 patients with IGBC; R0 resection following re-resection was achieved in 32 patients (88.9%). Overall survival (OS) following re-resection was worse in group 3 (n = 7; 5-year OS, 14.3%) than in group 2 (n = 9; 5-year OS, 55.6%) (p = 0.035) or in group 1 (n = 20; 5-year OS, 88.7%) (p < 0.001). There was no survival difference between groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.256). Anatomic location of RD was independently associated with OS (group 2, HR 2.425, p = 0.223; group 3, HR 9.627, p = 0.024).

CONCLUSION

The anatomic location of RD independently predicts survival following re-resection, which is effective for locoregional disease control in IGBC, similar to resection for non-IGBC. Not all patients with RD have poor survival following re-resection for IGBC.

Essential updates 2019/2020: Surgical treatment of gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer is a biliary tract cancer that originates in the gallbladder and cystic ducts and is recognized worldwide as a refractory cancer with early involvement of the surrounding area because of its anatomical characteristics. Although the number of cases is increasing steadily worldwide, the frequency of this disease remains low, making it difficult to plan large-scale clinical studies, and there is still much discussion about the indications for surgical resection and the introduction of multidisciplinary treatment. Articles published between 2019 and 2020 were reviewed, focusing mainly on the indications for surgical resection for each tumor stage, the treatment of incidental gallbladder cancer, and current trends in minimally invasive surgery for gallbladder cancer.

Current and New Biomarkers for Early Detection, Prognostic Stratification, and Management of Gallbladder Cancer Patients

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive disease that shows evident geographic variation and is characterized by a poor prognosis, mainly due to the late diagnosis and ineffective treatment. Genetic variants associated with GBC susceptibility, including polymorphisms within the toll-like receptors TLR2 and TLR4, the cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1), and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCG8 genes, represent promising biomarkers for the stratification of patients at higher risk of GBC; thus, showing potential to prioritize cholecystectomy, particularly considering that early diagnosis is difficult due to the absence of specific signs and symptoms. Similarly, our better understanding of the gallbladder carcinogenic processes has led to identify several cellular and molecular events that may influence patient management, including HER2 aberrations, high tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, among others. Despite these reports on interesting and promising markers for risk assessment, diagnosis, and prognosis; there is an unmet need for reliable and validated biomarkers that can improve the management of GBC patients and support clinical decision-making. This review article examines the most potentially significant biomarkers of susceptibility, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy selection for GBC patients, highlighting the need to find and validate existing and new molecular biomarkers to improve patient outcomes.