Appraisal of surgical resection of gallbladder carcinoma with special reference to hepatic resection

Carcinoma of the gallbladder a gastrointestinal malignancy with an extraordinarily poor prognosis. However, aggressive surgery, with special reference to hepatic resection, may improve survival. To prove this, we performed a retrospective analysis over an 18-year period to investigate the experience of a center that began employing liver resection in patients with gallbladder cancer in 1978. The analysis was based on patients' documentation and regular follow-up to January 1996. The standard procedures were extended cholecystectomy (cholecystectomy with lymphadenectomy and wedge hepatic resection), anatomic segmentectomy of segments IVa and V, and extended hepatectomy. Significance was assessed by the log-rank test. Thirty-nine patients were resected, curatively in 41% (n = 22; group I) and palliatively in 31% (n = 17; group 2). In 28% (n = 15; group 3) a palliative or no operation was performed. Only curatively resected patients were analyzed and followed up to January 1996. No patients in group 1 died postoperatively. The actuarial 5-year survival rate of the patients with curative resection was 55%. Four patients had stage I, two had stage II, four had stage III, and two had stage IV disease according to TNM-classification. Six of the 16 patients without lymph node metastasis survived more than 5 years. A significant difference in long-term survival was recognised between stage II and stage IV patients and between stage (pT1a)- and (look table 1b) (pT1b)-patients (P < 0.01). Diagnostic efforts should focus on detecting early stages I and II gallbladder cancer. In advanced cases, aggressive surgery, particularly with hepatic resection, is the method of choice and is successful even in patients 70 years and older.