A Case of Adeno-endocrine Cell Carcinoma of the Gallbladder

Yoshinobu Yokoyama, Fumiyoshi Saito, Toyokazu Tsuzawa, Fumio Miura, Jyuichi Saito

Department of Surgery, Saito Icho Hospital

Endocrine cell tumors occur in the rectum, stomach, and appendix, but primary endocrine cell carcinoma of the gallbladder is rare. We encountered a rare case of adeno-endocrine cell carcinoma of the gallbladder in a 72-year-old man. The nodular protruded tumor (25×20×20 mm) was found in the fundus. Direct invasion of the liver bed, lymph node metastasis, and liver metastasis were seen. Histologically, the tumor consisted of two components, well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and endocrine cell carcinoma. The tumor cells in the area of the endocrine cell carcinoma were small and round-shaped. The nuclei were irregular in size and exhibited severe atypia and hyperchromatism. The tumor cells were arranged in irregular nests and a trabecular structure, and almost all of them showed a positive argyrophil reaction in the cytoplasm. A diagnosis of adeno-endocrine cell carcinoma was made. A transition between both histological features was seen histologically. It was suggested that the histogenesis of endocrine cell carcinoma of the gallbladder is closely related to that of adenocarcinoma.

Key words
adeno-endocrine cell carcinoma, gallbladder carcinoma, carcinoid

Reprint requests
Yoshinobu Yokoyama Department of Surgery, Saito Icho Hospital
2-2-35 Honchou, Tsuruoka, 997-0034 JAPAN

Accepted
July 22, 1998

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.