1996 Volume 29 Issue 8 Pages 1807-1811
Small cell carcinoma of the gallbladder is extremely uncommon and difficult to treat. We report two cases of this disease. Case 1: An 81-year-old man who underwent low unterior resection for rectal carcinoma in October 1991 was admitted in November 1993 because of gastric cancer. At the operation, a tumor of the gallbladder was also found. So gastrectomy with lymph node dissection and extended cholecytectomy were performed. Case 2: A 80-year-old woman was admitted in July 1993 because of acute peritonitis. At the emergency operation, a perforation and a tumor of the gallbladder were found. So cholecystectomy performed without lymph node dissection. Histological examination of the gallbladder in both cases revealed small cell carcinoma. Patinet 1 with triple cancers of the stomach, gallbladder and rectum is still alive, patient 2 died 2 months after the operation. Survival analysis of the 18 reported cases of this disease in Japan supported the efficacy of the combination therapy in comparison to surgery alone.
