A case of locally advanced unresectable gallbladder cancer with long-term survival after two pulmonary resections for lung metastases after conversion surgery

Abstract

The patient was a 70-year-old man. After 7 courses of gemcitabin+cisplatin (GC) therapy, he underwent conversion surgery with right hepatectomy with S4a resection, caudate lobectomy, and reconstruction of extrahepatic bile duct for locally advanced unresectable gallbladder cancer. After that, two recurrences of lung metastases occurred, the first one was a thoracoscopic partial pneumonectomy, and the second one was a thoracoscopic partial pneumonectomy after chemotherapy (4 courses of GC and 3 courses of gemcitabin). There are a small number of locally advanced unresectable gallbladder cancers that become resectable with chemotherapy. For patients with lung metastases from gallbladder cancer, long-term survival may be possible if certain conditions are met, such as a disease-free interval of at least 2-3 years and pN0 of primary tumor, and if pulmonary resection is performed in accordance with Thomford's criteria.