[Surgical therapy of gallbladder cancer]

Because of the normally far advanced tumor stages of carcinomas of the gallbladder, the resection rate in the literature varies from 10 to 30 percent. Our own curative resection rate was 19% in a series of 89 patients between 1969 and 1985 first treated in our hospital. The palliative resection rate was 29%, in 10% we performed a palliative operation and in 36% an explorative laparotomy. The curative resected gallbladder carcinomas were mainly stage I and II tumors, incidentally found at operation or histopathological examination. Has the gallbladder carcinoma invaded perimuscular connective tissue, an extended operation with resection of the segments IVb and V of the liver and lymphnode dissection must be recommended. Stage III and IV carcinomas of the gallbladder with infiltration of the liver can be curatively operated organ-saving in using en-bloc resection of the gallbladder with the adjacent segments IVb and V, or IVb and VI and with lymphnode dissection of the hepatoduodenal ligament. The observed five-year-survival rate (Cutler and Ederer) including lethality of the curative resected carcinoma of the gallbladder is 56.3 +/- 25.2%.