Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026

Diagnosis of Neoplasia in Barrett’s Esophagus using Vital-dye Enhanced Fluorescence Imaging
Published on: May 11, 2014
Morphological features of early gallbladder carcinoma
Toshifumi Wakai1, Yoichi Ajioka, Naoto Nagino
1Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan.
Background/Aims:
This study aimed to clarify the morphological features of early gallbladder carcinoma including tumors invading the lamina propria (pT1a) or muscular layer (pT1b).
Methodology:
This retrospective study involved 299 patients with early gallbladder carcinomas, identified from a surgical pathology database covering 29 years from 1982 through 2010. The macroscopic appearance of the tumor was classified as protruding (n=107, 36%) or superficial (n=192, 64%). Protruding tumors were subdivided into pedunculated or sessile, whereas superficial tumors were subdivided into elevated, flat or depressed.
Results:
Eighty-four of 107 protruding tumors (79%) were detected preoperatively and/or intraoperatively, whereas only 47 of 192 superficial tumors (24%) were detected in this manner (p<0.001). Of the 107 protruding tumors, 21 were pedunculated and 86 were sessile; 76 of these sessile tumors (88%) were accompanied by superficial elevated and/or flat tumors. In total, 257 patients (86%) had pT1a tumors and 42 (14%) had pT1b tumors. No patient had evidence of lymphatic/blood vessel or perineural invasion or nodal metastasis on histology, except for lymphatic vessel invasion in one patient with a pT1b tumor.
Conclusions:
Two-thirds of early gallbladder carcinomas are classified as superficial. Most pT1b gallbladder carcinomas spread only locally.
Related Concept Videos
Gallbladder
The gallbladder's anatomy consists of three regions: the fundus, body, and neck. Extending from the neck, the cystic duct joins the common...
Cholecystitis
Cirrhosis I: Introduction
Liver Histology
Hepatocytes perform a variety of essential functions. They secrete...
Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not related to...
Appendicitis
