Cancer of the gallbladder: A review of forty-three cases

This study presents the clinicopathologic findings in 43 cases of cancer of the gallbladder. Particular attention was paid to the classification of various histologic types along with their distribution by age, sex, race, the presenting symptoms, the presence of gallstones, the occupational history, and the sites of metastases. The most common type was found to be differentiated adenocarcinoma, and the bulk of the cases occurred in elderly white females. Of note was the fact that in 79 per cent of the cases it was possible to identify underlying predisposing circumstances, either cholelithiasis or a positive occupational history. In light of the dismal prognosis associated with this malignant tumor, the identification of such predisposing factors provides an important avenue for the future investigation and prevention of this disease. In addition, in this series, a high rate of multiple primary malignant tumors of different tissues was noted. This was attributable to the age and sex distribution of the cases, that is, their being primarily elderly and female. However, this subpopulation of multiple cancers was significantly different with regard to etiologic factors, and this may provide further clues for future preventive measures for this cancer.