A retrospective analysis of patients with gallbladder cancer: surgical treatment and survival according to tumor stage.

BACKGROUND

gallbladder cancer is the most common biliary neoplasm and the sixth most common tumor of the digestive system. The disease has an ominous prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 5%. It is usually diagnosed late and surgical resection is the only potential cure.

METHODS

a retrospective study was carried out in 92 patients with a pathological diagnosis of gallbladder cancer from January 2000 to January 2016.

RESULTS

the mean age of cases was 72 ± 11 years; 64 subjects were females and 28 were males. Symptoms at admission included abdominal pain (78%), anorexia (77%), nausea (76%) and jaundice (45%). Surgery was indicated in 92 (100%) patients and 59 (64%) underwent a curative/intent resection. The initial surgical procedures included simple cholecystectomy in 69 (75%) cases and extended cholecystectomy in eleven (11%) subjects. Rescue surgery was performed in 15 patients with tumor tissue in the cholecystectomy specimen; ten individuals underwent an R0 curative resection. Adjuvant therapy was administered in 30 (33%) patients. The median survival in our series was 12.5 months, with survival rates of 57%, 30% and 20% at one, three and five years, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

to conclude, surgical treatment with a complete tumor resection should be considered for all patients, provided that their clinical status allows it.