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Primary gallbladder carcinoma is relatively uncommon, but not a very rare disease. It accounts for 3- 4% of all gastrointestinal tract tumors, and is the most common malignant disease of the biliary tract. It occurs more frequently in women than in men at a ratio of 3:1. The etiology of gallbladder carcinoma is unknown, but the association of gallstones with it is well known. The diagnosis often is not made before laparotomy because its symptoms and signs are very nonspecific and are similar to those of cholecystitis. Commonly, it is encountered in the later stages and has very unfavorable courses. Recently, the operative treatments of gallbladder carcinoma have advanced significantly, and many studies revealed that more aggressive surgery gives rise to better prognosis in comparison with previous surgical treatment modalities. We reviewed 60 cases of this disease experienced in our hospital from October, 1988 to February, 1998. We evaluated whether the aggressive surgical treatment and the adjuvant therpy of gallbladder cancer had influence on prognosis. And additionally, we examined the clinical situations of primary gallbladder carcinoma. Only 33 patients of 60 were followed up until a recent date, and so all survival data were calculated within 33 cases. The results are as follows : 1) The incidence of gallbladder carcinoma in females outnumbered in males at a ratio of 1.2:1, and sixty per cent of all patients were 7th and 8th decades of age. 2) Almost all patients had varying degrees of upper abdominal pain, and the duration of symptoms was less than 4 weeks in half of the patients. 3) Forty-five per cent of all patients had gallstones. 4) Preoperative diagnoses were made in 28 cases(46.7%). 5) At the time of diagnosis, many patients(about 70%) were on the TNM stage III and IV. 6) The curative resectability rate of the cancer was merely 53.3%(32/60), and in the remainder of patients(n=28), palliative surgery and only laparotomy were carried out. The operative methods performed on purpose of a curative resection of the cancer were simple cholecystectomy in 14 patients(23.3%), cholecystectomy plus liver wedge resection plus LN dissection(radical cholecystectomy) in 15 patients(25%), radical cholecystectomy plus Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in 1(1.7%), and radical cholecystectomy plus right hepatic lobectomy in 2(3.3%). 7) The cumulative 5-year-survival rates of gallbladder carcinoma were 80% in stage I, 75% in stage II, 33% in stage III, and 0% in stage IV(p=0.002). In advanced cases(that is, in stage III and IV), the survival data was analized according to the operation methods. The mean survival times were 25.9 months in curative operation group and 3.3 months in palliative operation or explo-laparotomy group(p=0.003). 8) In a small number of patients of stage III and IV, chemotherapy and radiation therapy were carried out. But we could not find the statistical significances on the differences of survival rates.
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