Undifferentiated carcinoma of the gall bladder: a rare entity

Abstract

Undifferentiated carcinoma of the gall bladder is an unusual tumor with a reported incidence of 0.38% of all gallbladder and extrahepatic bile duct cancers. We present a 65 year old female presenting with pain abdomen who was diagnosed with carcinoma gall bladder on ultrasound and CT abdomen. Histopathological examination revealed a 6.5x4x2 cm3 growth extending from the body of the gall bladder upto the fundus. H & E stained sections from the growth revealed sheets and trabeculae of neoplastic cells which were round to polygonal with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, multinucleation at places and areas showing spindled tumor cells. A diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma of gall bladder with spindle and giant cell type was given. Tumor showed strong positivity for cytokeratin and vimentin. These tumors have a very poor prognosis and therefore early diagnosis is vital to the survival of the patient. Keywords: Undifferentiated carcinoma, Gall bladder, Spindle and giant cell type