Dr. Sharmila Laishram
BACKGROUND Carcinoma of the gallbladder is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract. The indistinguishable clinical manifestations of cholelithiasis and cholecystitis may mask an underlying malignancy. The present study highlights the occurrence of Incidental gallbladder carcinoma (IGBC) detected during histopathological examination in cholecystectomy specimens removed for cholelithiasis. METHODS This is a tertiary hospital based cross-sectional study of 2379 cholecystectomy specimens removed during cholelithiasis over a ten-year period. Relevant hospital records, histopathology slides and reports were reviewed, re-evaluated and studied. RESULTS Eleven (11) cases of IGBC, constituting 0.46% were diagnosed. Females with IGBC were more than the males (M:F=1:4.5). Focally thickened wall (mean wall thickness of 0.57 cm) was the most common gross finding with 100% association with cholelithiasis. Moderately differentiated Adenocarcinoma was the most common histological type and more than 70% were in lower stage (3 cases in pT1 and 5 cases in pT2) while the remaining 3 cases were at a higher stage with positive margins. CONCLUSIONS Early detection of IGBC by histopathological examination would have a favourable impact on prognosis and management thereby increasing the survival outcome.
