Radical surgery for advanced pure squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder: report of a case

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the gallbladder is frequently detected at an advanced stage because of its tendency to infiltrate adjacent organs. In addition, more rapid growth of this type of carcinoma compared to that of adenocarcinoma, the most frequent subtype of gallbladder carcinoma, has been reported. Although it is not rare to find squamous cell carcinoma components in cases other than the usual adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder, these cases must be distinguished from those of pure squamous cell carcinoma, as diagnosed in the present case. Pure squamous cell carcinoma is characterized by a well-localized growth, no visceral metastasis, and a rarity or lack of lymph node metastasis, even when the tumor has grown to a large size locally. Prognosis of SCC of the gallbladder has generally been considered poor. Nevertheless, long-term survival after curative resection in patients with SCC of the gallbladder has been sporadically reported. We performed extended right hemihepatectomy with portal vein resection after portal vein embolization for a 55-year-old woman with advanced SCC of the gallbladder. The patient has not developed any signs of recurrence 40 months after the surgery. Although such radical surgery remains challenging, it may lead to a favorable outcome in selected patients with advanced SCC of the gallbladder.