A Case of Undifferentiated Carcinoma of the Gallbladder

Yasumasa Ogo, Seiji Yano, Munechika Tsuji, Kunihiro Yamasawa, Makoto Koike, Hiroshi Omori, Masayuki Itakura, Yoshinori Nio, Tetsuya Higami and Asuka Suyama^*

Department of Surgery 1 and Department of Pathology^*, Shimane Medical University

A 79-year-old woman admittd for a gallbladder tumor discovered on ultrasonography at another clinic was found in abdominal computed tonography to have a tumor with a heterogenous pattern with contrast effect and a swollen lymph node near the lesion. Abdominal angiography showed tumor staining. Under a preoperative diagnosis of advanced gallbladder neoplasm with regional node metastasis, cholecystectomy, lymphnodes dissection, and microwave coagulation of the liver bed were conducted. Histologically, tumor cells were compatible for small cell carcinoma but immunohistological analysis showed a diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma. Undifferentiated carcinoma of the gallbladder is rare, and many cases involve highly advanced cancer and poor prognosis. In undifferentiated carcinoma, diagnosis and resection in its early stage and additional therapy such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are essential.

Key words
undifferentiated carcinoma of the gallbladder, surgery, radiotherapy

Reprint requests
Yasumasa Ogo Department of Surgery 1, Shimane Medical University
89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo, 693-8501 JAPAN

Accepted
March 27, 2002

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