A retrospective single centre study on histopathological analysis of cholecystectomy specimens in a tertiary care centre in India

Abstract

Background: Gall bladder carcinoma is the 5th most common gastrointestinal malignancy which has a poor 5-year survival rate, carrying dismal prognosis. Diagnosing chronic cholecystitis from gall bladder cancer is challenging. Early detection of gall bladder carcinoma allows for the possibility of radical resection surgery, which has been shown to increase patient survival. Methods: A retrospective histopathological analysis was conducted at a tertiary care centre to evaluate the incidence of gall bladder carcinoma. A total of 1728 cholecystectomy samples were evaluated from all age groups for a period of 6 years. Results: Chronic cholecystitis was the most common impression on histopathological analysis, showing females have high predominance of developing gall bladder disease including malignancy. The incidence of gall bladder carcinoma was found to be 0.46 % with 8 cases of adenocarcinoma diagnosed, which were not diagnosed preoperatively. Conclusions: If missed, gall bladder cancer can progress rapidly and has a significant fatality risk if it is not detected in time. We conclude that all histopathology specimens be sent for routine analysis, to rule out gall bladder cancer, which if resected early can improve the survival of the patients.