A Case of Malignant Lymphoma of the Gallbladder

Tetsuya Sato, Gohichi Hayashi, Kohki Masuo, Tomoyuki Mochizuki and Yutaka Sanada^*

Kawagoe Gastrointestinal Hospital, ^*Department of Surgery, Showa University, Fujigaoka Hospital

This report documents a patient with malignant lymphoma of the gallbladder and multiple bone metastasis. A 67-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital due to her upper abdominal pain and distention lasting 2 weeks. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), drip infusion cholangiography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography showed an irregular tumor in the fundus of the gallbladder. She underwent laparotomy and cholecystectomy, liver resection, and choledochus. Microscopic findings revealed diffuse atypical lymphocytes. Immunohistochemical staining was B-cell positive. The final pathological diagnosis was malignant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma type. The postoperative course was dismal, evidencing bone metastasis after 18 months. Malignant lymphoma of the gallbladder is extremely rare, with only 18 cases reported in Japan. All were diagnosed based on postoperative pathological findings, with no extreme symptoms and radiological findings.

Key words
malignant gallbladder lymphoma, bone metastasis

Reprint requests
Tetsuya Sato Kawagoe Gastrointestinal Hospital 2-9-2 Senba-cho, Kawagoe-shi, 350-0034 JAPAN

Accepted
March 28, 2001

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