Early gallbladder carcinoma: a single-center experience.
OBJECTIVE
Controversy continues regarding the best surgical treatment for early gallbladder carcinoma defined as a tumor confined to the mucosa (pT1a) or to the muscularis propria (pT1b) according to the TNM classification. This study evaluates the effectiveness of different surgical approaches in patients with early gallbladder carcinoma in terms of long-term survival.


METHODS
From 1980 to 2001, 175 patients with gallbladder carcinoma were admitted to our department. Fifteen of them underwent resections for early gallbladder carcinoma: 4 patients for pT1a tumors and 11 patients for pT1b tumors. All patients with pT1a tumors and 8 patients with pT1b tumors underwent simple cholecystectomy. The remaining 3 patients with pT1b tumors underwent extended cholecystectomy.


RESULTS
The 5-10 year cumulative survival rate was 100% for patients with pT1a tumors, 37.5% for patients with pT1b tumors who underwent simple cholecystectomy, and 100% for patients with pT1b tumors who underwent extended cholecystectomy.


CONCLUSIONS
Simple cholecystectomy is the appropriate treatment for patients with pT1a tumors, whereas patients with pT1b tumors require an extended cholecystectomy.
Cangemi
Vincenzo
V
Department of Surgery "Pietro Valdoni", Policlinico Umberto I, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. vincenzo.cangemi@uniroma1.it
Fiori
Enrico
E
Picchi
Cristina
C
De Cesare
Alessandro
A
Cangemi
Roberto
R
Galati
Gaspare
G
Volpino
Patrizia
P
D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies