Neuroendocrine Carcinoma Of Gallbladder Research Articles

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder: A case report and literature review.

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) originating from neuroendocrine cells occur in the thyroid, respiratory, and digestive systems, with Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Carcinoma (GB-NEC) accounting for only 0.5% of all NENs and 2.1% of gallbladder cancers. Due to its rarity, little is known about GB-NEC's clinical presentation and treatment. We report a case of a 52-year-old male presenting with acute upper right abdominal pain, leading to further investigation. Initial diagnostic workup, including abdominal ultrasound and contrast-enhanced CT, suggested gallbladder malignancy. Post-surgical pathology confirmed GB-NEC, with immunohistochemistry supporting the diagnosis. The patient underwent radical cholecystectomy, followed by etoposide plus cisplatin chemotherapy. After disease progression indicated by CT, the patient received additional cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and irinotecan, plus targeted therapy with anlotinib and immunotherapy with paimiplimab. The patient showed a partial response to initial treatment. Subsequent liver biopsy confirmed NEC, consistent with small cell carcinoma. With continued treatment, the patient maintains a good survival status. GB-NEC is associated with poor prognosis, emphasizing the importance of early detection and multimodal treatment strategies. Our case underlines the potential benefit of a comprehensive treatment plan, including aggressive surgery and chemotherapy, with further research needed to standardize treatment for this rare condition.

Does the size of the neuroendocrine-carcinoma component determine the prognosis of gallbladder cancer?

Gallbladder mixed neuroendocrine-non-neuroendocrine neoplasm generally consists of a gallbladder neuroendocrine tumor and a non-neuroendocrine component. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019 established a guideline requiring each component, both neuroendocrine and non-neuroendocrine, to account for a minimum of 30% of the tumor mass. Patients after surgery resection and diagnosed at microscopy evaluation with pure gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GBNEC), gallbladder mixed adeno-neuroendocrine carcinoma (GBMANEC, GBNEC≥30%), and gallbladder carcinoma mixed with a small fraction of GBNEC (GBNEC <30%) between 2010 and 2022 at West China Hospital of Sichuan University were collated for the analyses. Demographic features, surgical variables, and tumor characteristics were evaluated for association with patients' overall and recurrence-free survival (OS and RFS). The study included 26 GBNEC, 11 GBMANEC, 4 gallbladder squamous-cell carcinoma (GBSCC), and 7 gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBADC) mixed with a small fraction of GBNEC. All patients had stage III or higher tumors (AJCC8th edition). The majority of included patients (79.17%) underwent curative surgical resection (R0), with only ten patients having tumoral resection margins. In the analysis comparing patients with GBNEC percentage (GBNEC≥30% vs. GBNEC<30%), the basic demographics and tumor characteristics of most patients were comparable. The prognosis of these patients was also comparable, with a median OS of 23.65 months versus 20.40 months (P=0.13) and a median RFS of 17.1 months versus 12.3 months (P=0.24). However, patients with GBADC or GBSCC mixed with GBNEC <30% had a statistically significant decreased OS and RFS (both P<0.0001)) compared with GBNEC and GBMANEC. Patients with GBNEC who exhibited advanced tumor stages and lymphovascular invasion had a higher risk of experiencing worse overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). However, a 30% GBNEC component was not identified as an independent risk factor. Patients with GBNEC were frequently diagnosed at advanced stages and their prognosis is poor. The 30% percentage of the GBNEC component is not related to the patient's survival.

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of 37 cases of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma

ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics, treatment approaches, and prognosis of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC).MethodsRetrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 37 patients with GB-NEC admitted to Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January 2010 to June 2023. The study included an examination of their general information, treatment regimens, and overall prognosis.ResultsTwelve cases, either due to distant metastasis or other reasons, did not undergo surgical treatment and received palliative chemotherapy (Group 1). Two cases underwent simple cholecystectomy (Group 2); four patients underwent palliative tumor resection surgery (Group 3), and nineteen patients underwent radical resection surgery (Group 4). Among the 37 GB-NEC patients, the average pre-surgery CA19-9 level was 113.29 ± 138.45 U/mL, and the median overall survival time was 19 months (range 7.89–30.11 months). Of these, 28 cases (75.7%) received systemic treatment, 25 cases (67.6%) underwent surgical intervention, and 16 cases (64.0%) received postoperative adjuvant treatment, including combined radiochemotherapy or chemotherapy alone. The median overall survival time was 4 months (0.61–7.40 months) for Group 1 (n = 12), 8 months for Group 2 (n = 2), 21 months (14.67–43.33 months) for Group 3 (n = 4), and 19 months (range 7.89–30.11 months) for Group 4 (n = 19). A significant difference in median overall survival time was observed between Group 1 and Group 4 (P = 0.004).ConclusionSurgery remains the primary treatment for GB-NEC, with radical resection potentially offering greater benefits to patient survival compared to other therapeutic options. Postoperative adjuvant therapy has the potential to extend patient survival, although the overall prognosis remains challenging.

Comparison of the clinical features and long-term prognosis of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma versus gallbladder adenocarcinoma: A propensity score-matched analysis.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GBNEC) is rare and characterized by a low degree of tumor differentiation. The clinical features of GBNEC versus gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBADC) remain a subject of debate. A total of 201 GBADC and 36 GBNEC cases that underwent surgery resection between January 2010 and 2022 at the Department of Biliary Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University were included. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed based on seven predefined variables: age, sex, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, resection status, perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and degree of tumor differentiation. Compared with GBADC, GBNEC patients were younger (median age 56.0 vs 64.0 years; P = 0.001), and more patients presented with advanced stages of tumor (P = 0.003). Patients with GBNEC also had a higher rate of PNI (55.6% vs 22.4%; P < 0.001), and LVI (63.9% vs 45.80%; P = 0.658). Before PSM, GBNEC patients had inferior prognoses compared with GBADC patients with a shorter median overall survival (mOS) (15.02 vs 20.11 months; P = 0.0028) and a shorter median recurrence-free survival (mRFS) (10.30 vs 15.17 months; P = 0.0028). However, after PSM analyses, there were no differences in OS (mOS 18.6 vs 18.0 months; P=0.24) or RFS (mRFS 10.98 vs 12.02 months; P = 0.39) between the GBNEC and GBADC cases. After multivariate analysis, tumor diagnosis (GBNEC vs GBADC) was not identified as an independent risk factor for shorter RFS (P = 0.506) or OS (P = 0.731). Unfavorable pathological features, including advanced AJCC tumor stages, poor differentiation, presence of LVI, and positive resection margins (all P < 0.05), were independent risk factors for inferior OS and RFS. GBNEC is difficult to diagnose early and has a prognosis comparable to stage-matched poorly differentiated GBADC. Tumor diagnosis (either GBADC or GBNEC) was not an independent risk factor for the patient's OS. Unfavorable pathological features of the neoplasm are the main determinants.

Clinical features and outcomes analysis of Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) is an uncommon and highly malignant tumor. This research aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of GB-NEC. Our survey of case reports from January 2000 to May 2022 screened a total of 84 patients with complete data who received surgical resection for gallbladder NEC. Log-rank generated survival curves using the Kaplan-Meier method for univariate survival analysis. To identify GB-NEC independent prognostic indicators for overall survival (OS), univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses were conducted. These patients consisted of 25 men and 59 women, with an average age of 60 (range 29-85). Patients under 60 years old made up 44% of the population, while patients over 60 made up 56%. Fifty-three tumors were advanced pathologic TNM stage III and IV. After surgery, 44 patients underwent chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The median OS of 84 patients with GB-NEC was 16.8 months. In univariate and multivariate analysis, tumor size (diameter ≥5 cm), TNM tumor stage, and the receipt of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy are independent factors influencing the prognosis of patients with GB-NEC. Tumor size (diameter ≥5 cm) and TNM tumor stage were independently related to a shorter OS. An enhanced OS was independently linked to receiving postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Visualization of a gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma using a novel peroral cholangioscope.

Visualization of a gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma using a novel peroral cholangioscope.

Successful management of a rare case of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma with tumor thrombi.

A gallbladder neuroendocrine neoplasm (GB‑NEN) is a bizarre heterogeneous neoplasm arising from neuroendocrine cells, which are present in minimal amounts on the GB mucosa either due to conversion of undifferentiated stem cells, chronic inflammation and resulting in pathological metaplasia or switching of GB adenocarcinoma to neuroendocrine one. Among all the GB malignancies, GB-NEN accounts for approximately 2.1%. A 41-year-old lady presented with right upper abdomen pain and distension for 2weeks. Contrast CT showed heterogeneously enhancing wall thickening involving fundus-body of the GB with large exophytic component involving segments IV/V of liver, peripheral enhancement and central low attenuating necrotic areas. Middle hepatic and left branch of portal vein was filled with enhancing lesion, tumor thrombi. She underwent left trisectionectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Postoperative biopsy reported as poorly differentiated unifocal small cell GB-neuroendocrine carcinomas (GB-NEC). Resected margins were free of tumor with periportal lymph nodes negative for tumor. Follow-up PET-CT after six months of treatment completion shows no tumor recurrence or metastases. She has completed 12months following the surgery and is asymptomatic. As the occurrence of GB-NEC is rare, there are little data regarding etiology, pathogenesis, treatment and prognosis of it. Even though metastasis is early and most frequent to lymph nodes, liver, lung and peritoneum, the presence of tumor thrombus in GB-NEC is rarely reported. Though most reports suggest very poor outcomes, radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy can yield good short-term results as seen in this case.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma diagnosis, treatment and prognosis based on the SEER database: A literature review.

BACKGROUNDGallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) has a low incidence rate; therefore, its clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis are not well explored. AIMTo review recent research and analyze corresponding data in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. METHODSData of GB-NEC (n = 287) and gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GB-ADC) (n = 19 484) patients from 1975 to 2016 were extracted from the SEER database. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. We also reviewed 108 studies retrieved from PubMed and Reference Citation Analysis (https://www.referencecitationanalysis.com/). The keywords used for the search were: "(Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine) AND (Gallbladder Neoplasms)". RESULTSThe GB-NEC incidence rate was 1.6% (of all gallbladder carcinomas), male to female ratio was 1:2 and the median survival time was 7 mo. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 36.6%, 17.8%, 13.2% and 7.3% respectively. Serum chromogranin A levels may be a specific tumor marker for the diagnosis of GB-NEC. Elevated carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen (CA)-19-9 and CA-125 levels were associated with poor prognosis. Age [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.027, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.006–1.047, P = 0.01] and liver metastasis (HR = 3.055, 95% CI: 1.839–5.075, P < 0.001) are independent prognostic risk factors for OS. Patients with advanced GB-NEC treated with surgical resection combined with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy may have a better prognosis than those treated with surgical resection alone. There was no significant difference in OS between GB-NEC and GB-ADC.CONCLUSIONThe clinical manifestations and prognosis of GB-NEC are similar to GB-ADC, but the treatment is completely different. Early diagnosis and treatment are the top priorities.

Case reports: chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder

Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare subtype of malignant gallbladder tumor. Although surgical resection is the only potentially curative therapy for gallbladder NEC, most cases are surgically unresectable because of advanced stage disease and/or biologically aggressive behavior. The standard palliative treatment for malignant gallbladder tumors is chemotherapy; however, the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of gallbladder tumors is controversial. Here, we report a case of gallbladder NEC that showed a durable response to chemoradiotherapy. A 68-year-old Japanese man presented with a huge gallbladder tumor with liver and duodenal invasion. Pathological findings revealed poorly differentiated NEC of the gallbladder. After seven cycles of chemotherapy comprising cisplatin and irinotecan, computed tomography (CT) revealed remarkable tumor shrinkage, but an enlarged portal lymph node. The patient was treated with 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions with two cycles of cisplatin and etoposide. After chemoradiotherapy, the enlarged lymph node also decreased in size. Maximum standardized uptake value of fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/CT(FDG-PET/CT) changed from 8.2 to physiological accumulation. We defined this condition as a complete response on both enhanced CT and FDG-PET/CT; therefore, we did not perform systemic treatment and only observed his condition. This patient remained healthy with no recurrence at 3 years after chemoradiotherapy.

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of gallbladder

Neuroendocrine carcinoma of gallbladder

A case of stage IV gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma suggested by biliary cytological findings

A case of stage IV gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma suggested by biliary cytological findings

Age-specific clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic analysis of neuroendocrine carcinomas of the gallbladder.

BackgroundWe have limited information about neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the gallbladder. The purpose of this paper is to compare clinical and pathological features between different age groups and prognostic factors for gallbladder NEC and how it differs from adenocarcinoma (ADC) of the gallbladder.Patients and methodsThis study included 28 gallbladder NEC patients and 137 ADC patients whose clinical characteristics and pathological findings were retrospectively collected. Propensity score matching and Cox regression analysis were used for the analysis of prognostic factors.ResultsWe divided NEC patients into two groups based on the age more than or less than 60 years. Most of the NEC patients less than 60 years old complained of abdominal pain or discomfort (p = 0.038), and more younger patients accepted adjuvant therapy (p = 0.020) than older patients did. CD56 was positive in all patients more than 60 years old, which is significantly higher than that of younger patients (p = 0.039). The mean age was similar between NEC and ADC patients. After eliminating confounding factors between NEC and ADC patients, the overall survival rates were still lower in NEC patients. Univariate analysis extracted six possible risk factors. Multivariate analysis indicated that surgery type, tumor size, and existence of gallstones were independent prognostic factors.ConclusionThe overall survival of gallbladder NEC is not associated with age. In this study, surgical method and tumor size were found to be independent risk factors for NECs. In addition, NEC patients have a worse prognosis than ADC patients with similar clinical and pathological features.

Comparison of the Clinical Features and Outcomes of Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Carcinoma with Those of Adenocarcinoma: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis.

Simple SummaryNeuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of the gallbladder (GB) are extremely rare. We aimed to compare the clinical features of GB-NENs with those of adenocarcinomas (ADCs) of the GB. Among 21 patients with GB-NENs, 20 were diagnosed with poorly differentiated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), and 1 patient had large-cell NEC. At initial presentation, all patients had advanced stages of cancer, with extensive local extension and/or distant metastasis. Nine patients with GB-NEC who underwent surgical resection had a significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than those who did not undergo surgery. After a propensity score matching with a 1:1 ratio using the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, age, sex, and operation status, there was no difference in the overall survival or PFS between AJCC stage-matched patients with GB-NEC or GB-ADC. In conclusion, GB-NEC is difficult to diagnose early and has a prognosis similar to that of GB-ADC.Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) of the gallbladder (GB) are extremely rare. We aimed to compare the clinical features, disease progression, management, and prognosis of patients with GB-NENs with those of patients with GB-adenocarcinomas (ADCs). A total of 21 patients with GB-NENs and 206 patients with GB-ADCs, treated at three tertiary medical centers between January 2010 and December 2020, were enrolled. Of the 21 patients with GB-NENs, 20 were diagnosed with poorly differentiated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), and 1 patient had large-cell NEC. All patients presented with advanced stages of cancer with extensive local extension and/or distant metastasis and non-specific symptoms. Tumor-node-metastasis stage IIIB and IV (A/B) tumors were found in 6 and 15 (1/14) patients, respectively. Nine patients with GB-NEC who underwent surgical resection had a significantly better progression-free survival (PFS) than those who did not undergo surgery. After a propensity score matching with a 1:1 ratio using the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, age, sex, and operation status, 19 pairs of patients were included. Compared with stage-matched patients with GB-ADC, patients with GB-NEC had similar overall survival and PFS. However, as GB-NEC is rarely diagnosed early, further studies investigating methods for the early diagnosis and improvement in the survival of patients with GB-NEC are needed.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma: An important differential diagnosis of gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) are a rare but important differential diagnosis of gallbladder cancer. This case report highlights the importance of pathological diagnosis and the efficiency of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. Pathological diagnosis should be attempted because the treatment of gallbladder NEC differs from that of gallbladder adenocarcinoma, especially in unresectable cases.

Update in clinical management for gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma.

Background:Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) is rare and there are few reports at present. We sought to review the current knowledge of GB-NEC and provide recommendations for clinical management.Methods:A systemic literature research was conducted in the websites of Pubmed, Medline, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data using the keywords including gallbladder combined with neuroendocrine carcinoma or neuroendocrine tumor or neuroendocrine neoplasm. Two reviewers independently screened the articles by reading the title, abstract and full-text.Results:In computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination, a well-defined margin, gallbladder replacing type with larger hepatic and lymphatic metastases could be helpful for differential diagnosis of GB-NEC and gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GB-ADC). Older age, unmarried status, large tumor size (>5 cm), positive margins, and distant Surveillance, Epidemiology and End result (SEER) stage are independently associated with poor survival. Surgical resection remains as the preferred and primary treatment. The potential survival benefit of lymphadenectomy for patients remains controversial. Platinum-based postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy may improve the survival. The efficacy of other treatments including immunotherapy, targeted therapy and somatostatin analogue needs further investigation.Conclusion:Typical imaging features could be helpful for preoperative diagnosis. Age, margin status, tumor size, marital status, histopathologic subtype and SEER stage may be independent predictors for the survival. Remarkable advances regarding the treatment for GB-NEC have been achieved in recent years. Further studies are needed to investigate the survival benefit of lymphadenectomy for patients with GB-NEC.

Pure large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder, is surgical relentlessness beneficial? A case report and literature review

Pure large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the gallbladder is a rare disease. However, the prognosis of this aggressive tumor is poor with short survival after diagnosis. We are describing in this manuscript a case of pure large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma in which survival exceeded 26 months, after performing two curative surgeries. We are reporting the case of a 68-year-old woman with a history of recovered right breast carcinoma and operated 6 years later for a completely asymptomatic gallbladder tumor of 31 mm. In this case, curative surgery was performed allowing monobloc resection of the gallbladder and the hepatic segments IVb and V, a lymph node dissection was performed to. The histological examination of the specimen and immunohistochemistry confirms that the tumor was a grade 3 pure large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of gallbladder with lymph node invasion, the hepatic and biliary surgical margins were free. Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was administered and the evolution was eventless until the discovery at 20 months of a lymph node considered being metastatic recurrence. A second surgery was performed allowing removal of three lymph nodes. This time, a different protocol of chemotherapy was administered to our patient who remains alive and without recurrence at 26 months from her first surgery. Surgical relentlessness with free margins resections associated with appropriate chemotherapy probably improves the survival of patients suffering from this rare and aggressive tumor.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma: A single center experience.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC) is a group of rare and heterogeneous neoplasms and there are few reports at present.We analyzed the clinical and pathological features of 7 patients with GB-NEC who were admitted to Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from January 2011 to October 2019.The median age of 7 patients was 58 years with male to female ratio of 1:2.5. Right upper quadrant discomfort was the main complaint and no patients presented carcinoid syndrome-related symptoms. In contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination, 5 of 6 patients showed well-defined margin and continuous thin line-like contrast enhancement on the mucosa. Among the patients with liver metastases before surgery, 66.7% of patients were cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) positive, and among the patients presented with liver metastases during follow-up period, all patients were CA-125 positive. All patients with elevated CA-125 did not have ascites, ovarian carcinoma, peritoneal carcinoma, and endometrial carcinoma. According to postoperative pathological report, 1 patient was stage IIIA, and the other 6 patients were stage IVB. Six patients underwent surgery, and 1 patient just underwent liver biopsy. Two patients underwent laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy, and neither of them encountered serious complications after surgery with the overall survival time of 4.6 and 16.8 months, respectively. Compared with the patients without chemotherapy, 3 patients postoperatively treated with chemotherapy lived longer. The median survival of all 7 patients was 4.6 months and the 1-, 2-year survival rates were 14.29%, 0%.Surgical resection, including laparoscopic radical cholecystectomy, is feasible for the treatment of advanced GB-NEC in selected patients and has the advantages of prolonging survival in combination with chemotherapy. The elevation of CA-125 can be utilized as an important predictor of poor prognosis, while more investigations are necessary to confirm it.

Clinical Analysis of 15 Cases of Gallbladder Neuroendocrine Carcinoma and Comparison with Gallbladder Adenocarcinoma Using a Propensity Score Matching.

PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (GB-NEC).Patients and MethodsFifteen patients with GB-NEC and 171 patients with gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GB-ADC) treated in two tertiary medical centers between 2009 and 2015 were included. The clinicopathological features and prognostic risk factors of GB-NEC were analyzed retrospectively. A propensity score matching in a 1:2 ratio was used to compare the prognosis of GB-NEC and GB-ADC.ResultsFor patients with GB-NEC, the median age of patients was 58.4 years (range 26–75), with a M:F ratio of 7:8. Based on 2010 WHO classification, ten cases were pathologically confirmed as NECs and five cases as MANECs. For TNM staging, eleven patients were stage III or above; while for Nevin staging, seven patients were stage IV or above. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival (OS) of GB-NEC were 60.0%, 38.8% and 31.1%, respectively, and the median survival time was 20.4 months. Patients with lymph node metastasis had significantly shorter survival than those without (OS: 10.4 vs 26.0 months, p<0.05). Accordingly, patients of Nevin stage III had better OS than those of Nevin stage IV (p<0.05), but other potential risk factors including gender, age, clinical symptoms, TNM stage, histopathologic subtype and treatment showed no significance. After the propensity score matching, the baseline variables had no significant difference between 15 patients with GB-NEC and 30 patients with GB-ADC, survival analysis showed GB-NEC had worse prognosis (3-year overall survival rate: 31.1% vs 63.8%, p<0.01).ConclusionNevin staging helps classify patients of GB-NEC with different prognosis and the lymph node metastasis is a strong negative prognostic factor for OS. The propensity score analysis revealed even with the similar stage and treatment, GB-NEC still had worse OS than GB-ADC.

Neuroendocrine Small-Cell Carcinoma of the Gallbladder: Case Report

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma is a very rare entity, accounting for &lt;0.2% of all neuroendocrine tumours [1]. Of the cases described in the literature, the initial presentation is usually locally advanced or even with disseminated disease [2]. In this paper we report the case of a 43-year-old female patient with an incidental diagnosis of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma. Although clinical presentation is the most common, it is a very rare condition that poses a therapeutic and prognostic challenge.

A case of gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma diagnosed preoperatively using somatostatin receptor scintigraphy.

Gallbladder neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare gallbladder tumor. The current report is a case of a patient preoperatively diagnosed with gallbladder NEC using somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS). A 63-year-old man was admitted to our hospital by a family doctor after abdominal ultrasonography revealed thickened walls of the neck of his gallbladder. At Kagoshima University Hospital, CT and MRI of the abdomen and endoscopic ultrasonography confirmed the thickening of the walls of the neck of the gallbladder. However, it did not resemble a typical gallbladder cancer or tumor, such as a neuroendocrine tumor or malignant lymphoma. Positron emission tomography and SRS showed abnormal accumulation at the tumor site. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was performed, adenocarcinoma was suspected based on intra-gallbladder bile cytology, and a cholecystectomy with lymphadenectomy was performed. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was small cell NEC (pT3a, N0, M0, stage II). Immunohistochemistry indicated that the gallbladder tumor cells were positive for synaptophysin, chromogranin A, and cluster of differentiation (CD) 56, and negative for somatostatin receptors (SSTR) 2 and 5. Gene expression assays revealed the expression of all SSTR subtypes (SSTR1-5) in the tumor. Generally, NECs exhibit poor accumulation in SRS, however, the results of the current case suggest that SRS may be useful in the preoperative diagnosis of NEC.