Port site recurrences after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Port site metastasis is a well-documented event after laparoscopic procedures in cancer patients. We summarize current epidemiological knowledge about the risk of this complication after laparoscopic/conventional cholecystectomy in patients with unexpected gallbladder cancer as well as other intraabdominal malignancies. We found 174 cases of port site metastasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 12 recurrences in the surgical scar after converted or open cholecystectomy. A review of all case reports and its comparison with four international surveys show a 14% incidence of port site metastases 7 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cancer. Similar numbers are available for open cholecystectomy. Our data suggest that abdominal wall metastases of gallbladder cancer are not a specific complication of laparoscopy. The long-term prognosis of patients with unknown gallbladder cancer however seems to be worsened by laparoscopy. The registry of the German Society of Surgery, which prospectively compares follow-up and prognosis of all cases of cholecystectomy, laparoscopic as well as open, in patients with incidental gallbladder cancer will definitively clarify whether laparoscopy affects the prognosis of patients with unsuspected gallbladder cancer.