Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the gallbladder.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the gallbladder are representative of an extremely rare group of tumors. We have encountered a patient with a malignant GIST of the gallbladder and presented it with a review of some articles. A 72-yr-old woman initially presented with right upper quadrant abdominal pain, fever and chills. Emergency cholecystectomy was performed under the impression of gallbladder empyema. Liver metastasis was found at 7 months postoperatively and the patient expired 9 months after the surgery. At the time of cholecystectomy, the gallbladder showed a necrotic serosal surface with an irregular thickened wall. A mass, 6 cm in length and 3 cm in width, encircled the whole wall of the neck and upper body of the gallbladder. Microscopic findings revealed frequent mitotic figures (more than 20/50 HPF) and tumor necrosis. Hyperchromatic, pleomorphic and spindle shaped neoplastic cells that were arranged in a pattern of short fascicles infiltrated the entire layer of the gallbladder. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for CD117 antigen (c-kit protein) and vimentin. They were negative for desmin, smooth muscle actin and S-100 protein. Mutations of the c-kit proto-oncogene were not found in this case. These findings were sufficient to provide enough clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical evidence in diagnosing our case as a malignant GIST.
Department of Surgery, St. Paul's Hospital, Korea, The Catholic University of Korea School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jong Kyung
JK
Park
Seung Hye
SH
Choi
Seong
S
Lee
Ki Ouk
KO
Min
Sang Seob
SS
Yun
Hae Myung
HM
Jeon
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit