Residual disease predicts outcomes after definitive resection for incidental gallbladder cancer

Residual disease (RD) at definitive resection of incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBCA) influences outcome, but its clinical relevance with respect to anatomic site is incompletely characterized.

Consecutive patients with IGBCA undergoing re-exploration from 1998 to 2009 were identified; those submitted to a complete resection were analyzed. Demographics and tumor- and treatment-related variables were correlated with RD and survival. Cancer-specific survival was stratified by site of RD (local [gallbladder bed]; regional [bile duct, lymph nodes]; distant [discontiguous liver, port site, peritoneal]).

Of the 135 patients submitted to re-exploration, RD was found in 82 (61%) overall and in 63 (54%) of 116 patients submitted to resection; the most common site was regional (n = 27, 43%). The T stage of the gallbladder specimen was the only independent predictor of RD (T1b = 35.7%, T2 = 48.3%, T3 = 70%, p = 0.015). The presence of RD at any site dramatically reduced median disease-free survival (DFS) (11.2 vs 93.4 months, p < 0.0001) and disease-specific survival (DSS) (25.2 months vs not reached, p < 0.0001) compared with no RD, respectively. Disease-specific survival did not differ according to RD location, with all anatomic sites being equally poor (p = 0.87). Residual disease at any site predicted DFS (hazard ratio [HR] 3.3, 95% CI 1.9 to 5.7, p = 0.0003) and DSS (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.6, p = 0.01), independent of all other tumor-related variables.

Survival in patients with RD at local or regional sites was not significantly different than that seen in stage IV disease, with neither subgroup clearly benefiting from reoperation. Outcomes were poor in all patients with RD, regardless of location.