Sarcomatoid Carcinoma of the Gallbladder: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the gallbladder is a highly malignant tumor originating from totipotent mesenchymal stem cells, accounting for only 4.1% of gallbladder cancers. Its clinical manifestations are very similar to adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, mainly presenting in the digestive tract. Surgical resection is currently the only possible cure for sarcomatoid carcinoma of the gallbladder. Due to the lack of effective diagnostic means at early stage, many patients have reached the middle and late stage of diagnosis, and the prognosis is often poor. In this paper, we present a case of a 52-year-old woman with advanced and rapidly progressing sarcomatoid carcinoma of the gallbladder causing obstructive cholangitis. She developed bone marrow suppression after immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. The patient died after symptomatic and supportive treatment. This paper reports the whole process of diagnosis and treatment in this case of gallbladder sarcomatoid carcinoma, thus carring out a discussion based on relevant literaturea and providing a reference for treatment.