Background: Involvement of extrahepatic bile duct in gallbladder cancer (GBC) is considered a sign of advanced disease; resection of extrahepatic bile duct in GBC has been a contentious issue considering the poor prognosis of the disease.
Methods: This retrospective study was done in two tertiary teaching hospitals of North India. The case records of all the GBC patients who underwent radical cholecystectomy with extra-hepatic bile duct resection were reviewed. Details concerning the clinical presentation, preoperative therapy, operative procedure, indication of bile duct resection, postoperative complications and outcome were retrieved from the case records. Kaplan-Meier analysis was done to estimate median disease-free survival and overall survival.
Results: There were 17 GBC patients who underwent radical cholecystectomy with resection of extrahepatic bile duct. Median age of the patients was 51 years (range 35-62); male to female ratio was 5:12. Six patients were diagnosed after histopathological examination of resected gallbladder specimen following cholecystectomy (incidental gallbladder cancer). All the patients had R'0' resection. The indication for extra-hepatic bile duct resection was direct infiltration of hepatoduodenal ligament in nine, positive cystic duct margin in two, densely adherent pericholedochal lymphnodes in one and associated ampullary growth in one patient. Kaplan-Meier analysis predicted median disease-free survival of 20 months and median overall survival of 26 months.
Conclusion: Extrahepatic bile duct resection to achieve R'0' resection in the management of advanced gallbladder cancer is safe with acceptable postoperative morbidity and has potential to improve survival.