Radical surgery for gallbladder carcinoma: possibilities of survival.
OBJECTIVE
An aggressive surgical approach in the management of gallbladder cancer (GBC) has improved survival significantly in recent years. The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the long-term results of surgical treatment of GBC reassessed following the TNM staging system of the AJCC-2002.


METHODS
The present series considers 118 patients with GBC treated between 1982 and 2003. Seventy-four cases (63%) were females and 44 (37%) males; overall age was 63 years (range 38-91).


RESULTS
Among the 118 patients with GBC, 35 (36%) underwent radical surgery: 3 pTNM IA [3 cholecystectomy (CT)], 10 IB [3CT, 3 CT + hepatic resection (HR), 4 HR], 3 IIA (3 HR), 7 IIB (3 CT+HR+ bile duct resection (BDR), 3 HR, 1 hepatopancreatoduodenectomy +CT), 10 III [4 CT+HR, 5 extensive HR (eHR), 1 HR+right colectomy+BDR+total gastrectomy], 2 IV (2 eHR). Overall 1-, 3-, 5-year survival was 67%, 46%, 34% respectively for stage IA-IB; 63%,12%, 12% for IIA-IIB; 50%, 30%, 30% for III-IV (p=ns); in particular, 1-, 3-, 5-year survival was 100%, 100%, 100% for T1a; 50%, 50%, 50% for T1b; 70%, 46%, 35% for T2; 50%, 12%, 12% for T3; 54%, 32%, 32% for T4 (p=ns); 1-, 3-, 5-year survival for patients without lymph node involvement was 58%, 44%, 37% and 60%, 15%, 15% for patients with lymph node metastases (p=ns), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
CT seems to be sufficient in T1a GBC patients but inadequate in T1b (stage IA), which requires a more aggressive approach. In stage IIB, III and IV, the presence of lymph-node metastasis is not a contraindication to aggressive surgery.
Principe
Alfonso
A
Department of Surgery and Transplantation, University of Bologna, S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Italy. aprincipe@aosp.bo.it
Del Gaudio
Massimo
M
Ercolani
Giorgio
G
Golfieri
Rita
R
Cucchetti
Alessandro
A
Pinna
Antonio Daniele
AD
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D001652:Bile Ducts / Q000601:surgery; D002763:Cholecystectomy; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016577:Pancreaticoduodenectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies