[Carcinoma of the gallbladder unexpectedly diagnosed after cholecystectomy for lithiasis (author's transl)]

Patients with clinically apparent carcinoma of the gallbladder seldom survive 5 years. This is only seen in about 20% of the patients whose gallbladder carcinoma is unexpectedly first discovered by the pathologist after a routine cholecystectomy for lithiasis. The prognosis of this seldom seen early stage of carcinoma of the gallbladder, which is applicable to only 10-23% of all gallbladder carcinomas, is strongly dependent on the penetration of the tumor in the wall of the gallbladder. Of the patients with a carcinoma infiltrating only the mucosa of the gallbladder, 60% can be cured for 5 years by a simple cholecystectomy, whereas for more advanced cancers this procedure seem to be inadequate. In these stages a relaparotomy should be considered with an addition wedge resection of the liver and a regional lymphadenectomy.