Thirteen-year disease-free survival after surgery for cystic duct carcinoma: a case report

Cystic duct carcinoma is known to have a better prognosis compared to its location in other biliary ducts. Only one case with a survival over ten years has been previously published. The authors report a case of survival over 13 years without recurrence or metastasis. Preoperative diagnosis of cystic duct tumor was carried in a 66-year-old male. Under the diagnosis of carcinoma of the cystic duct, the patient underwent en bloc resection of the gallbladder, cystic duct, hepaticocholedochus and lymph node dissection. A Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was performed. Histological examination revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the cystic duct. Five months later the patient underwent second look surgery for benign obstruction of the hepaticojejunal anastomosis. The patient is still doing well 13 years later without any local recurrence or metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the longest disease-free survival ever published in the literature. This case sustains that better and longer survival is possible with a real chance of potential cure if radical surgery is performed.