Outcomes of surgery for gallbladder cancer: A single-center experience

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare clinical entity that has a poor prognosis. Radical resection with meticulous lymph node dissection is the only treatment option. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the efficacy of radical resection for GBC in the early postoperative period with the viewpoint of clinicopathological correlation.

Patients (n=24) who underwent radical resection with lymph node dissection for GBC between 2015 and 2017 were included. Demographic data, histopathologic tumor type, preoperative tumor markers, pathologic tumor size/stage (depth of invasion), lymph node metastasis and metastasis rates, and postoperative early mortality were evaluated. The patients were grouped in two groups according to lymph node metastases: Group 1 (without lymph node metastasis) and Group 2 (with lymph node metastasis).

The median age of the patients in Group 1 and Group 2 was 65 (range, 42-89) years and 68 (range, 48-87) years, respectively (p>0.05). The female/male ratio in Group 1 and Group 2 was 4/4 and 13/3, respectively (p>0.05). There was a tendency for increased metastasis in Group 2 compared with Group 1 (31% vs. 0%) (p>0.05). Also, 88% of the tumors in Group 2 were in the advanced stage, whereas the rate was 37% in Group 1 (p<0.05). There was early postoperative mortality in seven patients who underwent resection. Four of the seven patients (43%) were from Group 2 and three (37%) from Group 1 (p>0.05).

Lymph node metastasis in GBC indicates advanced tumor stage. This causes a more complex surgical resection and therefore results in higher early postoperative mortality.