Extended Cholecystectomy Research Articles

Short term outcome of the hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery in patients on maintenance hemodialysis

Introduction: Major surgery for hemodialysis (HD) patients with nephropathy seems to be at high risk for postoperative management. HPB surgery is also considered as one of the most invasive treatments compared with other categorized surgery. In this report we analysed postoperative complications of HPB surgery in HD patients. Methods: From January 2004 to December 2017, 24 HD patients had undergone HPB surgery in our hospital. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of these patients to assess postoperative complications. Surgical Procedures were : Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC): 9, (Open) Cholecystectomy(OC): 6, Extended cholecystectomy (EC) for the gallbladder cancer:1, Choledocholithotomy(CL): 3, Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD): 3, Total pancreatectomy (TP): 1, Necrosectomy for traumatic injury of the pancreas: 1. Major hepatectomy had not been performed in this studied period. Results: The mean hospital stay was 29.7 (3–182) days. Postoperative complications were observed in six patients (25%): Clavien-Dindo (CD) classification GradeⅡ: 2 (8.3%), Ⅲa: 3 (12.5%), Ⅴ: 1 (4.2%). Hospital death was seen in only one patient (PD: caused by sepsis in POD155). In the nine cases of LC, there was only one complication (11%): acute cholangitis (CDⅢa: endoscopic intervention). In contrast, in major pancreatic surgery group (PD, TP, Necrosectomy) major complications (CD≥Ⅲa) were observed in three of the five cases (60%) including a death case. Conclusions: Our results indicated that a less invasive operation such as LC can be performed safely in HD patients. On the contrary, invasive HPB surgery such as PD was challenging treatment.

Peep Before You Enter – Laparoscopy in Gall Bladder Cancer.

Gall bladder cancer (GBC) is the commonest biliary tract cancer worldwide. Clinically ‘obvious’ GBC is usually advanced; a careful search should be made for metastases. In the absence of clinical metastases, resectability should be assessed with CT; PET can complement CT in detecting metastases. Laparoscopy has been used for staging of pancreatic and hepato-biliary cancers. Staging laparoscopy is ‘strongly recommended’ before laparotomy in GBC; it should be performed in incidental GBC also before reoperation for completion extended cholecystectomy (CEC). Addition of US to laparoscopy can increase the yield and accuracy. Laparoscopic extended cholecystectomy has also been reported. We have described anticipatory extended cholecystectomy (AEC) for thick walled GB; it can also be performed laparoscopically.

Laparoscopic versus open treatment of gallbladder cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of laparoscopic surgery on the treatment of patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC).Methods:A comprehensive search of Medline and Cochrane Library was conducted to identify relevant articles. A meta-analysis was subsequently performed.Results:A total of 20 studies including 1217 patients met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (48.4% vs. 38.5%; odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22–2.19; P = 0.001). Although the scar recurrence rate was significant higher in laparoscopic group than open group (7.1% vs. 4.0%; OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.11–3.96; P = 0.02), the overall recurrence rates between two groups were not significant different (44.8% vs. 42.2%; OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.64–1.14; P = 0.29). In addition, compared with open extended cholecystectomy (EC), laparoscopic EC (LEC) was associated with less intraoperative blood loss, shorter post-operative hospital stays and insignificant less complication rate (10.0% vs. 18.3%; OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.15–1.73; P = 0.28).Conclusion:Laparoscopic simple cholecystectomy does not lead to a worse prognosis when applied on patients with GBC. LEC can be performed in specialised expert centres on elective patients.

Optimal extent of surgery for early gallbladder cancer with regard to long-term survival: a meta-analysis.

The optimal surgical extent for T1 gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains controversial. Simple cholecystectomy is routinely performed for T1 GBC while several guidelines recommend extended cholecystectomy for T1b GBC. However, evidence regarding the optimal surgical extent for T1 GBC is lacking. This study aims to systematically evaluate the optimal surgical extent for early GBC with regard to long-term survival. A comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE was performed to identify studies with histologically proven GBC and survival data. A total of 22 articles with a total of 2,578 patients were included in the final analysis. Dichotomous data regarding cancer-related death in all T1, T1a, and T1b GBC cases were extracted. Risk ratios, risk differences, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled. The risk ratio between simple and extended cholecystectomy in T1 GBC patients was 1.06 (95% CI 0.97-1.16); T1a, 0.82 (95% CI 0.70-0.96); and T1b, 1.06 (95% CI 0.93-1.22). No significant difference was found according to the extent of surgery in all T1 or T1b GBC cases (P = 0.17 and P = 0.36, respectively). Simple cholecystectomy had significantly lower cancer-related death in T1a GBC patients (P = 0.01). Simple and extended cholecystectomy showed comparable survival outcomes in T1 GBC patients.

Surgical Management of Gallbladder Cancer: Simple Versus Extended Cholecystectomy and the Role of Adjuvant Therapy.

To assess if simple cholecystectomy with adjuvant therapy could provide outcomes comparable to extended cholecystectomy. Current guidelines recommend extended/radical cholecystectomy for T2/T3 gallbladder cancer; however, many tumors are discovered incidentally at laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The national Cancer Data Base 2004 to 2014 was queried for patients with pT2/T3 gallbladder adenocarcinoma who underwent resection. Adjuvant therapy was defined as chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy, within 90 days of surgery. Baseline characteristics and overall survival were compared by χ and Kaplan-Meier method, respectively. One-to-one propensity score matching for receipt of adjuvant therapy was used to account for potential selection bias. A total of 6825 patients were identified. Diagnosis was made predominantly (78.9%) at the time of surgery or on pathology; 31.8% (2168) received adjuvant therapy. The majority, 88.8% (6060), had a simple cholecystectomy. Patients who received adjuvant therapy versus surgery alone were more likely to: be younger, privately insured, have no comorbidities, pT3 disease, positive lymph nodes, positive resection margins, and extended cholecystectomy. After matching, median survival was significantly longer for extended cholecystectomy with adjuvant therapy (23.3 months) than cholecystectomy with adjuvant therapy (16.4 months), which was significantly longer than either simple (12.4 months) or extended (10.7 months) cholecystectomy alone (all log-rank P<0.001). Adjuvant therapy prolongs survival after resection of T2/T3 tumors. Simple cholecystectomy with adjuvant therapy appears to be superior to extended resection alone in the short term and may serve as a potential alternative to re-resection in select high-risk individuals.

Cost and morbidity of surgical management of resectable gallbladder cancer (GBC): Results from the National Inpatient Sample database.

e15663 Background: GBC is the most common biliary tract cancer. Based on a retrospective, single-institution data, extended cholecystectomy (EXT) has been recommended over simple cholecystectomy (CHOL) in tumors T2 and above. Retrospective data indicate increased morbidity/mortality with removal of more than 3 segments of the liver compared to CHOL and the effect on long-term survival is unclear. Therefore, we sought to identify short-term outcomes of hospitalization, such as cost and morbidity, for surgical treatment of GBC. Methods: The National Inpatient Sample/Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (NIS/HCUP) for years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 was surveyed for GBC hospitalizations. Hospitalizations for non-surgical management of GBC were excluded. Results: We identified 5,612 cases; mean age in EXT was 66.8 years vs. 72.4 in CHOL (p&lt;0.001). Patients insured through Medicare were less likely to have EXT (OR: 1.5, 95% CI 1.125-2.064; p=0.007). No difference based on race (OR: 1.14, 95% CI 0.854-1.519; p=0.38). Surgical/Medical morbidity is presented in Table 1. In-hospital mortality was 3.3 vs. 4.1% for EXT and CHOL, respectively (p=0.55). Mean length of stay was higher in the EXT group (9.8 vs. 8.3 days, p=0.03), cost ($32,782 vs. 22,667.3, p=0.003) and total charges ($111,714.7 vs. 81,432.9, p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: EXT for resectable GBC is associated with higher cost of care, probably related to higher risk for surgical site infection and stump leak. Until more evidence for overall survival benefit from EXT in this rare tumor emerges, referral of patients to high-volume centers with the hepatobiliary surgery expertise is recommended. [Table: see text]

Is more surgery better for patients with gallbladder cancer? A survival analysis of extended versus simple cholecystectomy.

e15615 Background: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare cancer; the minority of patients have resectable tumor at diagnosis. Based on retrospective, single-institution data, extended cholecystectomy (EXT) has been recommended over simple cholecystectomy (CHOL) in &gt;T1 tumors; however, effect of EXT on survival is unclear. Thus, we evaluated the survival of patients with resectable GBC at our institution. Methods: Retrospective analysis from 1/1/2005 to 1/1/2016 for patients with GBC. Patients with advanced or metastatic disease were excluded. The Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: 68 patients with GBC; 26 (38%) with early disease. Twelve patients had EXT. Patient/tumor characteristics are shown in Table. Median RFS was 22 months (95% CI: 9-not reached) and OS was 25 months (95% CI: 15-not reached) for the entire cohort. Median RFS was increased in CHOL (30 months) relative to EXT (9 months); p=0.73. OS appeared similar between the two groups (25 vs. 23 months for CHOL and EXT group, respectively). Conclusions: EXT appears to improve RFS with no effect on OS in patients with early GBC. Due to the limitations of small sample size and retrospective analysis, multi-institutional collaborations are necessary to better identify optimal management. [Table: see text]

Does CA 19-9 Have Prognostic Relevance in Gallbladder Carcinoma (GBC)?

There is a scarce data on prognostic relevance of carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9). This retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate its prognostic relevance in different prognostic subsets of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). One hundred forty-one patients of GBC treated between January 2012 and December 2014 were the subjects of this retrospective analysis. Baseline CA 19-9 levels of four cohorts of patients: extended cholecystectomy (EC), simple cholecystectomy (SC) with residual or recurrent disease, locally advanced disease (LAGBC) and metastatic disease were ascertained. The difference in its median baseline values among above groups was ascertained. The effect of clinicopathological variables, treatment-related variables and CA 19-9 on overall survival (OS) was also evaluated. AUC curve was computed to evaluate its performance. The median baseline levels of CA 19-9 were significantly different [10units/ml, 24units/ml, 48units/ml and 75units/ml in EC (n=33), SC (n=21), LAGBC (n=38) and metastatic disease (n=49), respectively, (p value 0.001)]. The median OS was also significantly different [24, 15, 7 and 6months in EC, SC, LAGBC and metastatic disease, respectively, (p value 0.001)]. Univariate analysis revealed a significant influence of log transformed value of CA 19-9, CA 19-9 levels < or >20units or 35units, surgery vs. none and chemoradiation vs. chemotherapy on OS. On multivariate analysis, only treatment-related variables were significant (HR 1.1, 95% CI 1.026-1.19, p=0.009). AUC curve was 0.63 for all patients and 0.72 for EC group. The median values of baseline CA 19-9 predict the burden of disease. Raised levels of serum CA 19-9 beyond 20units/ml should be used for prognostication purposes after EC. A level beyond 35units has a trend towards prognostication in other prognostic groups and needs to be evaluated in large subset of patients.

Impact of Type of Surgery on Survival Outcome in Patients With Early Gallbladder Cancer in the Era of Minimally Invasive Surgery

Laparoscopic surgery has been widely accepted as a feasible and safe treatment modality in many cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. However, most guidelines on gallbladder cancer (GBC) regard laparoscopic surgery as a contraindication, even for early GBC. This study aims to evaluate and compare recent surgical outcomes of laparoscopic and open surgery for T1(a,b) GBC and to determine the optimal surgical strategy for T1 GBC.The study enrolled 197 patients with histopathologically proven T1 GBC and no history of other cancers who underwent surgery from 2000 to 2014 at 3 major tertiary referral hospitals with specialized biliary-pancreas pathologists and optimal pathologic handling protocols. Median follow-up was 56 months. The effects of depth of invasion and type of surgery on disease-specific survival and recurrence patterns were investigated.Of the 197 patients, 116 (58.9%) underwent simple cholecystectomy, including 31 (15.7%) who underwent open cholecystectomy and 85 (43.1%) laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The remaining 81 (41.1%) patients underwent extended cholecystectomy. Five-year disease-specific survival rates were similar in patients who underwent simple and extended cholecystectomy (96.7% vs 100%, P = 0.483), as well as being similar in patients in the simple cholecystectomy group who underwent open and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (100% vs 97.6%, P = 0.543). Type of surgery had no effect on recurrence patterns.Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for T1 gallbladder cancer can provide similar survival outcomes compared to open surgery. Considering less blood loss and shorter hospital stay with better cosmetic outcome, laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be justified as a standard treatment for T1b as well as T1a gallbladder cancer when done by well-experienced surgeons based on exact pathologic diagnosis.

Anticipatory extended cholecystectomy: the 'Lucknow' approach for thick walled gall bladder with low suspicion of cancer.

Gall stones (GS) cause inflammation of the gall bladder (GB) i.e., chronic cholecystitis (CC) and xantho-granulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) which can result in a thick walled GB (TWGB). Gall bladder cancer (GBC) may also present as TWGB. While CC and XGC can be treated with simple cholecystectomy (SC), GBC merits extended cholecystectomy (EC). We propose a new surgical approach, anticipatory extended cholecystectomy (AEC), for doubtful TWGB in the belief that AEC would not violate the sacrosanct cholecysto-hepatic plane in doubtful cases and thereby not ruin the chances of cure for a patient whose GB demonstrates malignancy on frozen section histopathology. The addition of lymphadenectomy in cases which turn out to be malignant completes the procedure for GB cancer, but spares all problems related to lymphadenectomy in an undeserving patient. AEC involves removal of GB with a 2-cm wedge of liver, which is then subjected to frozen section histological examination. Lymphadenectomy is performed if GBC is confirmed. AEC was performed in 13 patients between January 2011 and June 2014. During the same period, 1,673 SC for CC/XGC and 116 EC for GBC were performed. All patients were symptomatic for GS (3 with acute cholecystitis). Ultrasonography (US) raised suspicion of GBC in 11 patients. CT raised suspicion of GBC in 9 patients. Preoperative FNAC was done in 2 patients; in 1 it was negative and in 1 it was suspicious for malignancy. Preoperative diagnosis was GBC in 8, TWGB in 2, XGC, porcelain GB and GB perforation in 1 each. AEC and frozen section was done in all 13 patients. It was reported as GBC in 2 patients and as suspicious of GBC in 1 patient; lymphadenectomy was performed in these 3 patients. Final histopathology revealed XGC in 9, CC in 2 and GBC in 2 patients. In patients with TWGB on US/ CT with low suspicion of cancer, AEC serves as a triage-if frozen section biopsy turns out to be positive for GBC, AEC can be completed to EC by performing lymphadenectomy. We wish to name this approach as the 'Lucknow' approach for TWGB.

EP-1218: Adjuvant radio-chemotherapy after extended or simple cholecystectomy in gallbladder cancer

EP-1218: Adjuvant radio-chemotherapy after extended or simple cholecystectomy in gallbladder cancer

Surgical management of incidental gallbladder cancer discovered during or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

To analyze the surgical management of incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC) discovered during or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to evaluate the associated factors of survival. A retrospective analysis of patients with IGBC between January 2002 and December 2013 was performed. A total of 10 080 consecutive patients underwent LC operation for presumed gallbladder benign disease in Chinese People's Liberation Army General hospital. And among them, 83 patients were histologically diagnosed as IGBC. Data covering clinical characteristics, surgery records, local pathological stage, histological features and factors for long term survival were reviewed. The survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method, and the results were examined using the log-rank test.For multivariate statistical analyses of prognostic factors, a Cox proportional hazards model was carried out. A total of 83 patients with IGBC:68.7% females (57/83), median age of 61 years (range 34-83 years). There were 47 cases accepted the initial simple LC, 18 cases converted to open extended radical cholecystectomy, 16 cases with radical second resection, and 2 cases with re-laparotomy; the 5-year survival rates for each group were 89.4%, 38.9%, 87.5%, and 0, respectively. The 5-year survival rates in T1a, T1b, T2, and T3 stage patients were 95.7% (22/23), 90.0% (18/20), 75.0% (15/20), and 40.0% (8/20), respectively. Univariate analysis for prognostic factors associated with cancer-specific death showed that depth of invasion, lymph-node status, vascular or neural invasion, tumor differentiation, extent of resection, bile spillage during prior LC and type of surgery were statistically significant.In multivariate analysis, depth of invasion, extent of resection and bile spillage were the most important prognostic factors related to both cancer-specific mortality and disease relapse (P < 0.05). Simple LC is appropriate for T1a patients with clear margin and unbroken gallbladder. An extended radical resection in patients with T1b or more is highly recommended, and provided as a potentially curative R0 resection only if it is necessary.

Outcomes of adjuvant chemoradiation and predictors of survival after extended cholecystectomy in gall bladder carcinoma: a single institution experience from an endemic region.

The purpose of the study was to analyse outcomes with adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT) followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in radically resected gall bladder carcinoma (GBC) in Indian patients. We retrospectively reviewed the records of GBC patients who received adjuvant cCRT after extended cholecystectomy (EC) between January 2007 and December 2011. Patterns of recurrence, disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse prognostic factors were evaluated. Thirty-two patients were analysed. At a median follow-up of 53 months, 40 % of patients had recurrence either locoregionally (12 %) or had distant metastases (28 %). The 5-year OS and DFS was 25 % and 53 %, respectively. When prognostic factors were evaluated, the median OS was 51 versus 23 months for node-negative (n = 8) versus node-positive disease (n = 24), not reached versus 34 months for stage 2 (n = 4) versus for stage 3 (n = 28), 46 versus 23 months for R0 (n = 11) versus R1 resection (n = 21), 51 versus 12 months (p = 0.15) for well-differentiated (n = 16) versus poorly differentiated tumours (n = 8), and 10 versus 51 months for lymphovascular invasion presence (n = 4) versus absence (n = 28) (p = 0.01). Outcome in Indian patients with cCRT followed by AC is similar to that reported in the literature. Adjuvant cCRT followed by AC improves outcomes in patients with R1 and node-positive disease. Advanced stage, nodal positivity, poor differentiation, presence of perineural invasion and lymphovascular invasion are adverse prognostic features. Further research is required with treatment intensification in patients with adverse prognostic factors to improve outcome.

Surgical treatment of incidental gallbladder cancer discovered during or following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

The optimal surgical management of patients with incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC) and their long-term survival remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to examine the long-term prognosis of patients with IGBC diagnosed during or after LC. Between January 2002 and January 2012, a total of 7,582 consecutive patients underwent LC for presumed gallbladder benign disease in the Chinese PLA General Hospital, China. Among them, 69 patients (0.91%) were diagnosed to have IGBC. Their medical records, imaging data, surgery records, pathological findings, and survival data were retrospectively reviewed. Median age was 61 years (range: 34-83). After a median follow-up period of 61 months, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates of patients were 89.9, 78.3, and 76.8%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates of patients with T1a, T1b, T2, and T3 stages were 95.5, 93.8, 69.2, and 44.4%, respectively. The 5-year survival rates in simple LC (n = 45), converted to open extended cholecystectomy (n = 16), and radical second resection (n = 8) groups were 91.1, 37.5, and 75.0%, respectively. Local port-site tumor recurrence was identified in one patient. Prognostic factors including depth of invasion, lymph node status, vascular or neural invasion, tumor differentiation, extent of resection, bile spillage, and type of surgery were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Simple LC is appropriate for T1a patients with clear margin and unbroken gallbladder, whereas extended radical resection is recommended for patients with T1b or more advanced IGBC. An intact surgical specimen and the use of plastic retrieval bags are important to reduce the risk of port-site recurrences and disease relapse. Early diagnosis, meticulous perioperative assessment, and precise surgery are essential factors to obtain good results in IGBC treatment.

Diagnosis and treatment of unexpected gallbladder carcinoma in laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Objective To explore the feasibility of radical cholecystectomy for early gallbladder car cinoma found during or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on patients who received laparoscopic cholecystectomy between January 2007 to August 2013 and were diagnosed to have gallbladder cancer during or after the operation.There were 34 patients.In 29 patients intraoperative frozen section diagnosed gallbladder carcinoma.In 5 patients postoperative histopathological study diagnosed stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ gallbladder carcinoma.Results Surgery was conducted successfully on these 34 patients.In 20 patients with stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ,the tumor had invaded the serosa,or into the liver with a depth of less than 2 cm,laparoscopic cholecystectomy alone or radical/extended radical cholecystectomy were carried out.In 9 patients,the laparoscopic surgery was converted to open surgery and these patients underwent cholecystectomy with resection of the adjacent liver segments/sections.In 5 patients who were diagnosed to have gallbladder carcinoma after laparoscopic cholecystectomy,they were re-operated with laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy.Conclusions Stage Ⅰ,Ⅱ and Ⅲ gallbladder carcinoma with tumor invasion into serosa,or patients with tumor invasion into the liver with a depth of less than 2 cm should undergo radical or extended radical cholecystectomy.Laparoscopic assisted radical or extended radical cholecystectomy could achieve the same operation as with open surgery but with better short-term results.There were less pain,smaller incisions,better scars and shorter hospitalization stay. Key words: Unexpected gallbladder carcinoma; Gallbladder carcinoma; Laparoscopic cholecyslectomy; Radical cholecyslectomy

Adjuvant radio-chemotherapy after extended or simple cholecystectomy in gallbladder cancer

To analyse results of combined treatment of adjuvant radio-chemotherapy (RT-CT) in patients diagnosed with gallbladder cancer (GBC) after complete resection. From June 1993 until July 2006, 67 patients with a diagnosis of GBC who underwent R0 surgical resection and were staged as T1b-2-3N0-1M0 received adjuvant RT-CT. Radiotherapy consisted of whole abdominal irradiation (20 Gy at 100 cGy daily) plus a boost to the tumour bed for a total of 45-59.4 Gy. Concomitant chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidines) was given. Overall survival (OS) and median survival were analysed in relation to different prognostic factors. With a median follow-up of 90 months, 5-year OS was 41%, in the group who underwent extended cholecystectomy it reached 57% and it was only 27% in those who underwent simple cholecystectomy (p = 0.005). Median survival was 42 months for the whole population, not yet reached for the extended cholecystectomy subgroup and 23 months for the simple cholecystectomy subgroup. When analysing for histological grade, median survival was 23 months for those graded as high grade (III or IV) and 57 months for those of low-unknown grade (p = 0.029). In multivariate analysis, a statistically significant OS benefit was found for those who underwent extended cholecystectomy (p = 0.003). In the absence of randomised studies, these data support the use of extended cholecystectomy followed by adjuvant RT-CT in patients diagnosed as stages T1b-2- 3N0-1M0 GBC after R0 resection.

Systematic review on the surgical treatment for T1 gallbladder cancer

To evaluate the efficacy of simple and extended cholecystectomy for mucosa (T1a) or muscularis (T1b) gallbladder (GB) cancer. Original studies on simple and extended cholecystectomy for T1a or T1b GB cancer were searched from MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane Library, EMBase, and CancerLit using the search terms of GB, cancer/carcinoma/tumor/neoplasm. Twenty-nine out of the 2312 potentially relevant publications met the eligibility criteria. Of the 1266 patients with GB cancer included in the publications, 706 (55.8%) and 560 (44.2%) had T1a and T1b GB cancer, respectively. Simple cholecystectomy for T1a and T1b GB cancer was performed in 590 (83.6%) and 375 (67.0%) patients, respectively (P < 0.01). In most series, the treatment of choice was simple cholecystectomy for T1a GB cancer patients with a 5-year survival rate of 100%. Lymph node metastasis was detected in 10.9% of the T1b GB cancer patients and in 1.8% of the T1a GB cancer patients, respectively (P < 0.01). Eight patients (1.1%) with T1a GB cancer and 52 patients (9.3%) with T1b GB cancer died of recurrent GB cancer (P < 0.01). Simple cholecystectomy represents the adequate treatment of T1a GB cancer. There is no definite evidence that extended cholecystectomy is advantageous over simple cholecystectomy for T1b GB cancer.

Advanced gallbladder cancer: Indian “middle path”

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is common in northern India. The western world has a pessimistic attitude towards GBC resulting in inadequate management of even early GBC. At the other extreme is the Japanese aggressivism with high mortality but very few actual long-term survivors. The Indian surgeons have adopted a Buddhist "middle path"--aggressive surgical approach for "less advanced" GBC and non-surgical palliative approach for "more advanced" GBC. We rely heavily on staging laparoscopy to detect metastatic deposits on liver, peritoneum and omentum, and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) to detect duodenal infiltration which indicates unresectability as we do not perform pancreatico-duodenectomy for GBC. Our favoured procedure is extended cholecystectomy (EC) which includes a 2 cm nonanatomical wedge of liver in the GB bed and the lymph nodes in hepatoduodenal ligament, behind the duodenum and head of pancreas and along the hepatic artery to the right of celiac axis. EC can achieve R0 resection in patients with T1-T2 and T3 (fundus/body--hepatic bed type) disease. For T3 (neck--hepatic hilum type) and T4 disease major hepatic resection is required. In selected patients with nodally advanced GBC, a non-curative simple cholecystectomy with post-operative chemoradiotherapy may improve survival. GBC is an "Indian disease" and Indian surgeons have to be prepared to accept the "challenge" of GBC.

The surgical management of incidental gallbladder carcinoma

Aims To report the surgical management of carcinoma of the gallbladder. Methods A retrospective study in 65 patients who underwent simple (SC) or extended (EC) cholecystectomy for gallbladder carcinoma. Results 28 patients underwent extended cholecystectomy (EC) and 37 had simple cholecystectomy (SC). The multivariate analysis showed that lymph-node status (positive vs negative, p=0.001, Hazard Ratio [HR]:14.2, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]:3.1–62.8) and type of surgery (SC vs EC, p=0.01, HR:10.2, 95% CI:1.7–62.8) were the most important prognostic factors related to death. This analysis indicated that EC in those with pT 2 or pT 3 was associated with a reduce hazard of death by 90% in the follow-up period. Conclusions In gallbladder cancer patients who diagnose after simple cholecystectomy, those with pT 1 with clear margins need no further surgery. In patients with pT 2 or pT 3 incidental carcinoma, the completion radical re-operation is the only chance for long-term survival.

Hepatoduodenal ligament invasion by gallbladder carcinoma: histologic patterns and surgical recommendation.

A consensus for the optimal management of hepatoduodenal ligament (HDL) invasion by gallbladder carcinoma has yet to be reached. We retrospectively correlated the patterns of HDL invasion with the surgical outcome. From 1985 to 2000, 59 patients underwent combined resection of the extrahepatic bile duct and gallbladder and contiguous organs if required. Pathologic staging (UICC) was stage II, 4; stage III, 14; stage IVa, 10; and stage IVb, 31. Hepatoduodenal ligament invasion was subdivided into lymph node involvement (LNI) and bile duct infiltration (BDI). Patterns of HDL invasion were compared with bile duct morphology, resectability, and outcome. Bile duct infiltration ( n = 32) caused stenosis of the bile duct in all cases, whereas LNI ( n = 40) caused stenosis in only 4 cases. Resection was complete after extended cholecystectomy ( n = 22) in 36%; 4b/5 segmentectomy ( n = 10) in 90%; major hepatectomy ( n = 2) in 50%; and hepatopancreatoduodenectomy ( n = 17) in 53% of cases. Surgery was curative in 75% of patients without BDI, and was < 30% with BDI. The most common factor preventing curative resection in BDI was perineural invasion around the HDL. Perineural invasion occurred in over 70% of cases at either the cut end of the bile duct or in the margin of dissection. The 3-year survival rates, excluding patients with R2 resection (residual cancer) and death in hospital, were LNI(-)BDI(-) ( n = 8), 65.6%; LNI(+)BDI(-) ( n = 17), 35.3%; LNI(-)BDI(+) ( n = 7), 14.3%; and LNI(+)BDI(+) ( n = 17), 5.9%. There were no 5-year survivors with BDI. In conclusion, perineural invasion in BDI is an important obstacle to complete resection. Hepatopancreatoduodenectomy is a feasible strategy only for LNI(+)BDI(-) disease.