Background/aims: Gallbladder carcinoma, especially advanced cancer that has invaded the subserosal or deeper layers, has a poor prognosis. Recently, radical operations combining resection of the liver and pancreas with extended lymph node dissection have been introduced to improve the prognosis of advanced gallbladder carcinoma. We have introduced central inferior (Couinaud's subsegments 4a and 5; S4a+S5) hepatic subsegmentectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy combined with extended lymphadenectomy for gallbladder carcinoma demonstrating subserous or mild liver invasion (pathological tumor stage pT2-3) and nodal involvement.
Methodology: Morbidity, mortality, clinicopathological features, and long-term outcome were analyzed retrospectively for seven consecutive patients who underwent this radical operation.
Results: The postoperative morbidity rate was 57.1% and there was no surgical mortality. All patients had lymph node involvement: two had pN1 disease and five had pN2 disease. All patients underwent curative resection. Only one patient developed gallbladder carcinoma recurrence after resection and it involved the paraaortic lymph nodes. Five patients, three of whom displayed pN2 disease, survived longer than 5 years postoperatively with no evidence of disease.
Conclusions: S4a+S5 hepatic subsegmentectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy combined with extended lymphadenectomy improve the long-term survival of gallbladder carcinoma with pT2-3 and nodal involvement. The presence of pN2 disease is not a contraindication for surgery. Further study is necessary to evaluate the usefulness of this radical procedure, especially as a standard operation.