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Early gallbladder carcinoma has a favorable outcome but Rokitansky–Aschoff sinus involvement is an adverse prognostic factor

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An Erratum to this article was published on 10 November 2013

Abstract

The general impression about gallbladder carcinomas is that they are uniformly fatal; however, for the early forms, an entirely different picture indicating a very good prognosis is evolving from the high-incidence regions. We subjected 190 early gallbladder carcinomas (EGBC), defined as carcinomas confined to and above the tunica muscularis (AJCC's Tis, T1a, and T1b), and identified in cholecystectomy specimens sampled entirely according to an established protocol, to detailed analysis. Average patient age was 57.9 years (29–95). In more than half of the cases (114/190; 60 %), the tumor was inapparent by gross examination. In 81 cases (42.6 %), carcinomatous epithelium abutted the muscularis, whereas 57.4 % (n = 109) were qualified as intramucosal with no overt contiguity with muscularis. Intraepithelial extension into Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses (RAS) was found in 34 cases (17.8 %). At the time of data analysis, 171 patients (99 %) were alive. Overall actuarial survival was 92.3 % at 5 years and 90.4 % at 10 years. The 5- and 10-year actuarial survival rates of the intramucosal group (93.2 and 92.1 %, respectively) were not statistically different from that of the muscle-abutting group (89.7 % and 88.2 % ; p = 0.334). Patients with RAS involvement had a significantly shorter survival than those without (p < 0.001). Of the 33 patients with RAS involvement, 13 (39 %) died of disease, whereas only 6 of the 154 patients (4 %) without RAS involvement died of disease. Disease-related mortality in these cases occurred relatively late (median 48 months). EGBC has a very good prognosis with a 90 % 10-year survival rate. It is seen on average in patients almost a decade younger than those with advanced cancers. RAS involvement is an independent prognostic factor, and additional surgery may have to be considered for such cases. Occasional recurrences are encountered several years later, which suggests a field-effect phenomenon and warrants long-term follow-up.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financed in part by the Office of Research of the Universidad de la Frontera and Fondecyt Grant 1090171.

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We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

    Juan C. Roa, Oscar Tapia, Miguel Villaseca, Pablo Guzman & Juan Carlos Araya

  2. Department of Pathology, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Juan C. Roa

  3. Department of Surgery and Traumatology, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile

    Carlos Manterola

  4. Department of Pathology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Pelin Bagci, Burcu Saka & Volkan Adsay

  5. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University Hospital, 1364 Clifton Road NE, Room H-180B, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Volkan Adsay

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  1. Juan C. Roa
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Correspondence to Volkan Adsay.

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Roa, J.C., Tapia, O., Manterola, C. et al. Early gallbladder carcinoma has a favorable outcome but Rokitansky–Aschoff sinus involvement is an adverse prognostic factor. Virchows Arch 463, 651–661 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-013-1478-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-013-1478-1

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