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Elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in primary gallbladder carcinoma without hepatic involvement
1Department of Surgery, Naval Hospital, Charleston SC 29408-6900.
Background:
Elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, although frequently associated with hepatocellular carcinoma, have also been reported in cases of primary gallbladder carcinoma.
Methods:
The case of a 56-year-old man with a markedly elevated serum AFP level and primary gallbladder carcinoma without detectable hepatic involvement is reported.
Results:
The patient had right upper quadrant abdominal pain and a palpable right upper quadrant mass. Computerized tomography scan of the abdomen showed a large, subhepatic mass consistent with the gallbladder, and normal liver parenchyma. Liver enzyme levels were normal. Management included cholecystectomy followed by postoperative radiation therapy to the gallbladder bed and portal areas and systemic chemotherapy. At the end of therapy, the AFP level had returned to normal.
Conclusions:
Gallbladder carcinoma is rarely diagnosed before surgery, which sometimes inhibits operative planning. AFP may be a useful preoperative tumor marker in differentiating the patient with primary gallbladder carcinoma from the patient with gallbladder hydrops.