Metastasis to the gallbladder: a single-center experience of 20 cases in South Korea.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with metastases to the gallbladder (MGBs).


METHODS
We performed a single-center retrospective study of 20 patients with MGBs diagnosed pathologically from 1999 to 2007.


RESULTS
Among 417 gallbladder (GB) malignancies, 20 (4.8%) were MGBs. The primary malignancies originated from the stomach (n = 8), colorectum (n = 3), liver (n = 2), kidney (n = 2), skin (n = 2), extrahepatic bile duct (n = 1), uterine cervix (n = 1), and appendix (n = 1). Twelve patients were diagnosed metachronously, presenting with cholecystitis (n = 4), abdominal pain (n = 2), jaundice (n = 1), weight loss (n = 1), and serum CA 19-9 elevation (n = 1); five patients were asymptomatic. The median survival after the diagnosis of MGB was 8.7 mo. On Cox regression analysis, R0 resection was the only factor associated with a prolonged survival [hazard ratio (HR): 0.01, P = 0.002]; presentation with cholecystitis was associated with poor survival (HR: 463.27, P = 0.006).


CONCLUSIONS
MGBs accounted for 4.8% of all pathologically diagnosed GB malignancies. The most common origin was the stomach. The median survival of MGB was 8.7 mo.
Yoon
Won Jae
WJ
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Yoon
Yong Bum
YB
Kim
Youn Joo
YJ
Ryu
Ji Kon
JK
Kim
Yong-Tae
YT
D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000175:diagnosis; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002764:Cholecystitis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D007565:Jaundice / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects
D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen