OBJECTIVETo analyze the surgical management of incidental gallbladder cancer (IGBC) discovered during or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) and to evaluate the associated factors of survival.

METHODSA retrospective analysis of patients with IGBC between January 2002 and December 2013 was performed. A total of 10 080 consecutive patients underwent LC operation for presumed gallbladder benign disease in Chinese People's Liberation Army General hospital. And among them, 83 patients were histologically diagnosed as IGBC. Data covering clinical characteristics, surgery records, local pathological stage, histological features and factors for long term survival were reviewed. The survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method, and the results were examined using the log-rank test.For multivariate statistical analyses of prognostic factors, a Cox proportional hazards model was carried out.

RESULTSA total of 83 patients with IGBC:68.7% females (57/83), median age of 61 years (range 34-83 years). There were 47 cases accepted the initial simple LC, 18 cases converted to open extended radical cholecystectomy, 16 cases with radical second resection, and 2 cases with re-laparotomy; the 5-year survival rates for each group were 89.4%, 38.9%, 87.5%, and 0, respectively. The 5-year survival rates in T1a, T1b, T2, and T3 stage patients were 95.7% (22/23), 90.0% (18/20), 75.0% (15/20), and 40.0% (8/20), respectively. Univariate analysis for prognostic factors associated with cancer-specific death showed that depth of invasion, lymph-node status, vascular or neural invasion, tumor differentiation, extent of resection, bile spillage during prior LC and type of surgery were statistically significant.In multivariate analysis, depth of invasion, extent of resection and bile spillage were the most important prognostic factors related to both cancer-specific mortality and disease relapse (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSimple LC is appropriate for T1a patients with clear margin and unbroken gallbladder. An extended radical resection in patients with T1b or more is highly recommended, and provided as a potentially curative R0 resection only if it is necessary.