Long Term Survival in a Patient Following Resection for Carcinoma of the Gallbladder and Rectum

We describe a 66-year-old man who presented initially with acute cholecystitis. He was treated by cholecystostomy and biopsy of the gallbladder mucosa which revealed carcinoma of the gallbladder. Four weeks later a cholecystectomy was performed followed by resection of the common bile duct, common hepatic duct and segments IV and V of the liver and a hepaticojejunostomy. Sixteen months later an abdomino-perineal resection was performed for a moderately differentiated Dukes' stage C carcinoma of the rectum. He is alive and without evidence of recurrence seven years later. Few patients survive for this length of time following resection of either carcinoma of the gallbladder or rectum. This case report demonstrates the value of aggressive surgical treatment in patients with early carcinoma of the gallbladder.