Primary Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma of the Gallbladder: A Population-based Analysis

Abstract

Background/aim: Primary Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the gallbladder (PNHL-GB) is extremely rare and data on clinical characteristics, optimal management and outcomes of these patients are limited to anecdotal reporting. We, therefore, sought to examine these patients using a population-based database.

Materials and methods: Surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database was queried between 1973 and 2013.

Results: One hundred and six cases with PNHL-GB were identified (mean age=70.5 ±15 years, whites 92%, male: female 1.03:1). The majority of patients had loco-regional disease (61%) and DLBCL histology (33%). Ninenty cases (85%) had undergone surgical resection, 6 (5.6%) received radiotherapy. Median overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 41 months with a 5-year survival rate of 40%. Patients receiving adjuvant RT had superior OS compared to surgery alone (140 ±27 vs. 86 ±16 months, respectively) and patients with DLBCL demonstrated lower survival compared to other histologies (13 vs. 53 months, respectively, p=0.034).

Conclusion: Our study presents the largest dataset of PNHL-GB describing clinical features and outcomes of these patients in addition to summarizing the literature.

Keywords: Lymphoma; NHL; SEER; gallbladder; gastrointestinal lymphomas; primary gallbladder lymphoma.