Gallbladder Cancer: A Single-Institution 10-Year Experience—Analysis of Adenocarcinoma Subtypes and Tumors Arising from Intracholecystic Papillary Neoplasms

Background Gallbladder cancer accounts for 1.2% of global cancer diagnoses. Literature on biliary-type adenocarcinoma (BTA), and specifically carcinoma arising from intracholecystic papillary-tubular neoplasms (ICPNs), is limited. This study describes a retrospective, single-institution experience with gallbladder cancer, focusing on histological subtypes and prognosis. Methods A retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent cholecystectomy for a malignant neoplasm of the gallbladder between 2007 and 2017. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and operative variables, as well as survival outcomes, were analyzed. Results From a total of 145 patients, BTAs were most common (93, 64%). Compared with non-BTAs, BTAs were diagnosed at a lower American Joint Committee on Cancer stage ( p = 0.045) and demonstrated longer median recurrence-free survival (38 vs. 16 months, p = 0.014; median follow-up 36 months). Tumors arising from ICPNs (18, 12%) were more commonly associated with BTA (14 cases). Compared with BTAs not associated with ICPNs (29 patients), associated cases demonstrated lower pathologic stage ( p = 0.006) and lower rates of liver and perineural invasion (0% vs. 49% and 14% vs. 48%, respectively; p