A Rare Case of Stage IV Mixed Neuroendocrine Small Cell and Adenosquamous Cell Carcinoma of the Gallbladder

Abstract

Gallbladder (GB) carcinoma is the fifth most common type of gastrointestinal cancer. Although a majority of these cancers are found to be adenocarcinomas, we present a rare case in which the GB carcinoma was found to have mixed histology with both small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenosquamous cell carcinoma.

Primary small cell carcinoma of the gallbladder diagnosed by PET/CT combined with tumour markers: A case report

“…8 The aetiology of gallbladder SCC is unknown, but it is thought that tumours may have originated from the epithelial tissue of the gallbladder or from the malignant transformation of the neural crest of the gallbladder mucosa. 13 Another hypothesis is that the neoplasm may have originated from tumour stem cells with multiple differentiation potentials in a neuroendocrine direction. 14 Cell morphology and growth pattern in gallbladder SCC are similar to those in small cell lung carcinoma with pathological features such as round or spindle-shaped cells which grow diffusely and are arranged in sheets, cords or nests.…”