Immunoglobulin g4-related disease mimicking unresectable gallbladder cancer.
Immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease is a novel disease entity that can involve diverse organs, causing specific diseases, including autoimmune pancreatitis, sclerosing cholangitis, cholecystitis, inflammatory aortic aneurysm, and inflammatory pseudotumor. IgG4-related disease is characterized by elevated serum IgG4 concentrations, abundant IgG4 lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, and dramatic steroid responses. It is clinically important to differentiate this rare disease from primary sclerosing cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma, because the treatment and prognosis of these two diseases are completely different. However, the preoperative diagnosis is challenging, and the disease is frequently misdiagnosed. If the serum level of IgG4 is within the normal range, the diagnosis of IgG4-related disease is more difficult. This article reports on a 59-year-old man with IgG4-related disease mimicking unresectable gallbladder cancer with normal serum IgG4 concentrations.
Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seongnam, Korea.
Yoon Suk
YS
Lee
Sang Hyub
SH
Lee
Min Geun
MG
Lee
Seung-June
SJ
Lee
Jin-Hyeok
JH
Hwang
Eun
E
Shin
Yoon Jin
YJ
Lee
Cholangitis, sclerosing; Cholecystitis; Gallbladder neoplasms; Immunoglobuin G