Asem Ghasoup, MD, FACS, MRCPS1, Turki Al Qurashi, MD1, Omar Sadieh, MD, FACS, MRCPS2, Mohammed Widenly, MD1, Marwan Abu Farah, MD1. 1Security Forces Hospital-Makkah, 2Saad Specialty Hospital
Key words: Gall Bladder, Incidental gallbladder cancer; Laparoscopic cholecystectomy .
Background:
Carcinoma of the gallbladder is the fifth most common gastrointestinal malignancy (and the most common of the biliary tract) and is usually discovered accidentally. Gallbladder carcinoma is diagnosed pathologically in 0.3-1.5% of cholecystectomy specimens.
AIM and Objectives:
To evaluate the impact of incidental gallbladder cancer on surgical experience and to establish the overall rate of gallbladder carcinoma.
Methods:
We retrospectively evaluated all consecutive cholecystectomies performed in our ward from (2007-2012) in order to Determine the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma and to identify common characteristics of this particular group of patients.
Results:
Of the 580 cholecystectomies performed in our ward from 2007-2012, gallbladder carcinoma was diagnosed in six patients (1.03%) but was not suspected prior to surgery in any of them. In accordance with the literature, the occurrence in women (4/6) was higher than in men (2/6). The mean age was 64 years (range 55-90).The most common symptom was abdominal pain; the majority (5/6) had cholelithiasis, and the pathologic report confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma in all six patients.
Conclusions:
The overall incidence of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma in our series was 1.03%. We could not find any common characteristics for this particular group of patients when compared to patients with non-malignant pathology.