A Case of Advanced Carcinosarcoma of the Gallbladder

Naoki Sakurai, Junichiro Yamauchi, Hisashi Shibuma, Eiichi Ikeda and Shunichi Sasou*

Department of Surgery and Department of Pathology*, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital

We report a rare case of so-called carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder. A 54-year-old woman, reporting postprandial right upper abdominal pain and referred for treatment of an intra abdominal tumor of unknown origin was suspected preoperatively of having advanced transverse colon cancer invading the gallbladder and duodenum. Because the gallbladder and duodenum were obviously involved in the giant tumor, we conducted right hemicolectomy, extended cholecystectomy (common bile duct preservation), and partial resection of the duodenum. Histological examination showed that the tumor consisted of two different cell types; poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and spindle-cell sarcoma with differentiation to cartilage and partly bone. Both types of tumor cells transferred each other. Spindle-shaped tumor cells around cartilage were positive for keratin. This histological evidence, led to a definitive diagnosis of so-called carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder.

Key words
carcinosarcoma of the gallbladder

Reprint requests
Naoki Sakurai Department of Surgery, Yamagata Prefectural Central Hospital
1800 Aoyagi, Yamagata, 990-2292 JAPAN

Accepted
December 16, 2005

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