Surgical treatment of metastatic gallbladder cancer. Systematic review with own experience

Abstract

Introduction. Patients with metastatic gallbladder cancer (GBC) are generally considered incurable and compelled to palliative chemotherapy. Nevertheless, there are numerous reports of successful surgical management of metastatic GBC. The impact of such treatment is yet unclear. Material and methods. We conducted a systematic literature review within Medline and Scopus databases using the following pattern: “gallbladder” and “cancer” and “dissemination”. Also, our own experience with two resected metastatic GBC patients was added to the results. Discussion. The literature search yielded 8 publications with a total of hundred and twelve patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Two additional patients were included in the analysis: one with resected GBC liver metastasis and the second with resected GBC diaphragmatic metastasis. A total of hundred and fourteen patients who underwent resection of a solid organ GBC metastasis were analyzed. The study confirmed a rare long-term survival after resection of an isolated GBC metastasis. Conclusions. There is no clear indication for surgical management of gallbladder cancer metastasis. In selected cases, an aggressive surgical approach may be justified.