Multiple synchronous malignancies are defined as the occurrence of two or more primary malignant tumors whose pathogenetic processes are believed to be independent or unrelated. Multiple synchronous biliary carcinomas are not frequently reported. The diagnosis is often made as a result of incidental intraoperative discovery of a gallbladder mass during surgical treatment of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. We experienced a case of synchronous double primary cancer of the gallbladder and distal common bile duct confirmed by pathologic evaluation, and report the case with a review of the clinical literature.
Biliary Tract* ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms

Choledochal cysts are congenital lesions involving cystic dilatation of the bile ducts. The choledochocele, the rarest type of choledochal cyst, is a cystic dilatation of the distal common bile duct that protrudes into the duodenum. There have been few reports concerning malignancy in the biliary tree associated with choledochoceles. We recently experienced a case of a choledochocele with gallbladder cancer.
Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Choledochal Cyst ; Common Bile Duct ; Dilatation ; Duodenum ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Local recurrence, following a resection for cancer of the gallbladder (GB) and bile duct, is usually incurable; with 2nd curative surgery being almost impossible. To determine the feasibility and significance of 2nd curative surgery, our experiences are presented in this study. METHODS: The medical records and clinical outcomes of 4 patients that underwent a re-resection for recurrent cancer of the extrahepatic biliary tract were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age of the four patients was 51.5 years. One patient that had a recurrent disease at the intrahepatic and intrapancreatic bile duct, 66 months after a segmental resection of the bile duct for common bile duct (CBD) cancer, underwent a hepatopancreatoduodenectomy. The second patient had a recurrent tumor mass in the CBD originating from in a cystic duct, 11 months after a cholecystectomy, and underwent a segmental resection of the bile duct. The third patient had a recurrent disease in the distal CBD, 28 months after a right hepatectomy for a Klatskin tumor, and underwent a pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy. The gross type of the above 3 cases was a papillary tumor. The fourth patient had a recurrent tumor mass of the liver parenchyma, close to the previous resection margin, 16 months after a cholecystectomy and wedge resection of the GB bed at another hospital for GB cancer, and underwent a wider wedge resection of the GB bed. There were no operative mortalities or morbidities. All patient are still alive after 46, 63, 9 and 30 months, respectively, without recurrence after the reoperation. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that a surgical re-resection is possible in selected patients with recurrent bile duct cancer, mostly of the papillary type. A primary operation for bile duct cancer should be performed with a wide surgical margin, and secondary curative surgery should be considered whenever possible in cases of recurrence.
Bile Duct Neoplasms ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract* ; Cholecystectomy ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Klatskin's Tumor ; Liver ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Recurrence ; Reoperation* ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The biliary tract often shows various morphologic abnormalities. Thus various anomalies and variations of the cystic duct have been extensively studied via cadeveric or intraoperative dissections and operative cholangiograms. The knowledge of the junction of cystic and common hepatic duct is essential for endoscopic management of biliary tract disease. But no large series identifying this critical cystico-hepatic junction(CHJ) by duodenoscopy has been reported. METHODS: To know the anomaly and variant of CHJ and to evaluate its clinical significence, we retrospectively reviewed 434 cases of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography performed at Korea University Hospital from 1992 through 1993. The CHJ was categorized as lateral or medial only for unequivocal angulation in that direction, and spiral when there is overlap of the CHJ with the bile duct in the posteroanterior view. The CHJ was further modified as parallel if the course of the two ducts was closely adherent for 1 cm or more. In addition to identifying the radial takeoff, the level of the CHJ along the length of the extrahepatic biliary tree was determined. The distance from the ampulla to the junction was divided by the distance from the ampulla to the bifurcation and expressed as proximal, middle, distal, respectively. RESULTS: The level of CHJ was mainly middle in 68.4% followed by distal in 16.4%, prximal in 15.2%. The radial orientation of CHJ was mainly lateral in 51.6%, followed by spiral in 32.3%, medial in 16.1%. The cystic duct runs parallely in 11.5%, mainly in the distally inserted, medially oriented cystic duct. The incidence of abnormalous CHJ was 5 case(1.2%), which included 1 case of cystic duct entering the right hepatic duct, 3 case of cystic duct entering at the junction of both extrahepatic duct(trifurcation), and 1 case of accessory hepatic duct entering cystic duct. The most common biliary disease by ERCP was gallbladder stone(25.5%), followed by common bile duct stone(19.5%), intrahepatic duct stone(7.2%), cystic duct obstruction(4.5%), cystic duct stone(2.9%), and others(bile duct cancer, gallbladder cancer, Mirizzi's syndrome). According to the level of the CHJ, there were low incidence of gallbladder stone in distal CHJ, low incidence of common bile duct stone in proximal CHJ and high incidence of Mirrizi's syndrome and gallbladder cancer in distal CHJ. There were no difference in the incidence of biliary disease according to the radial orientation and course of the CHJ. Practically, during therapeutic ERCP there were some tdchnical difficulties in extraction of biliary stone or selective bile duct cannulation in the presence of distally inserted, parallel course of the cystic duct. CONCLUSIONS: The anatomy of the CHJ by ERCP is more variable than that of previous surgical and autopsy reports and the endoscopist should be aware of this variants for safe and effective intervention in bile duct disease.
Autopsy ; Bile Duct Diseases ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; Catheterization ; Cholangiography* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Duodenoscopy ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Incidence ; Korea ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND : Anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBDU) is a congenital defect defined as a union of the pancreatic and the biliary ducts located outside the duodenal wall. Accordingly, this anomalous connection between the choledochus and the pancreatic duct is considered to be a factor in the development of biliary tract diseases such as choledochal cysts, pancreatitis, cholangitis, gallbladder cancer, and bile duct cancer. Our purpose is to analyze combined disease, especially biliary neoplasm, and to evaluate biliary tract microscopic changes in the biliary tract. METHODS : To study the clinical characteristics of APBDU, we reviewed 21 APBDU cases which were treated from June 1994 to January 1998. We studied the associated diseases, the surgical treatment, histological findings and the PCNA expression. We also analyzed the gallbladder epithelium in 10 control patients without APBDU. RESULTS : Among the 21 cases, 12 cases were accompanied by a choledochal cyst. A gallbladder carci noma occurred in 5 cases. Of the 13 operations, 4 involved a cholecystectomy only, and 9 involved a cholecystectomy, bile duct resection and hepaticojejunostomy. The histologic findings were reviewed in 13 cases. Bile duct metaplasia was found in 8 of the 9 cases with a bile duct resection, and gallbladder metaplasia was found in 8 of the 12 cases whereas metaplasia was detected in 1 of the 10 control patients. The PCNA expression was significantly high in APBDU group. CONCLUSIONS : The patients with APBDU showed a high incidence of gallbladder carcinoma and meta plasia in the epithelium of the gallbladder and the bile duct. This metaplasia in the gallbladder and the bile duct was thought to be related to the cancerous change.
Bile Duct Neoplasms ; Bile Ducts* ; Bile* ; Biliary Tract ; Biliary Tract Diseases ; Cholangitis ; Cholecystectomy ; Choledochal Cyst ; Common Bile Duct ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Epithelium ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Metaplasia ; Noma ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Pancreatitis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen

An ectopic opening of the common bile duct (CBD) into the duodenal bulb is a very rare congenital anomaly of the biliary system, which may cause recurrent duodenal ulcer or biliary diseases such as choledocholithiasis and cholangitis. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) plays a major role in the diagnosis of this anomaly. We report two such cases: one in a 61-year-old man and the other in a 57-year-old man. In the first case, this anomaly caused acute cholangitis with multiple CBD stones, which were successfully treated by ERCP. In the second case, abdominal computed tomography showed pneumobilia, which was further evaluated using ERCP. Besides, this patient was diagnosed with an ectopic opening of the CBD associated with gallbladder cancer. We report these unusual cases and review the relevant medical literature.
Biliary Tract ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis* ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct* ; Diagnosis ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Gallbladder Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND/AIM: There is little data on whether plastic stents with a larger diameter are patent for longer than small stents in patients with bile duct cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the stent survival between 7-French (Fr) and 10-Fr plastic stents and evaluate the factors affecting stent survival. METHODS: Patients with biliary obstruction due to biliary tract cancer were enrolled at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine from January 2010 to October 2014. RESULTS: A total of 215 patients (7-Fr:10-Fr = 89:126 patients) were retrospectively enrolled. The primary tumor sites were common bile duct (n = 111), hilar (n = 45), and ampulla of Vater (n = 59). Rates of stent migration and stent obstruction were not different between the two groups. The median duration of stent survival was 3.3 months in the 7-Fr group and 5.9 months in the 10-Fr group (p = 0.543). The diameter of the stent did not have an effect on stent survival (hazard ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 0.71-1.73, p = 0.649). CONCLUSIONS: 7-Fr and 10-Fr stents have similar rates of stent migration and stent obstruction. The stent survival of 7-Fr was not inferior to 10-Fr stents in the management of biliary tract cancer.
Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Duct Neoplasms ; Biliary Tract Neoplasms* ; Biliary Tract* ; Common Bile Duct ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Plastics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Stents*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Anomalous connection between the choledochus and the pancreatic duct is considered to be a factor in the development of carcinoma of the biliary tract. There is especially a malignant potential for gallbladder cancer without dilatation of bile duct. We intend to find the clinical significance of anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union (APBDU) and biliary malignancy, and the correlation between type of APBDU and that of biliary malignancy (gallbladder of bile duct). Our purpose is to certificate the propriety of prophylactic cholecystectomy and to recall operation. METHOD AND RESULTS: We reviewed 880 ERCP cases from September 1994 through February 1996. There were fifteen cases of APBDU and six cases of biliary tumor associated with APBDU. They consisted of three gallbladder cancer with all P-C type union, two bile duct cancer with C-P type union and one villous adenoma in dilated bile duct. In one reoperation case in which cystojejunostomy had already been performed, there was no evidence of malignancy, but one was inoperable due to multiple liver metastasis. CONCLUSION: The patients with APBDU showed an increase of gallbladder cancer occurrence and furthermore those with the C-P type of APBDU, not associated with bile duct dilatation had a higher occurrence. And therefore were censidered preventive cholecystectomy and in operation to divide the biliary duct and pancreatic duct. Preoperative CA 19-9 test is helpful in finding the hidden cancer and is a guide to preventive operation in APBDU patients and to post-operative follow-up.
Adenoma, Villous ; Bile ; Bile Duct Neoplasms ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Common Bile Duct ; Dilatation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallbladder Neoplasms ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Reoperation

An adenoma is a rare benign tumor arising in the extra-hepatic biliary duct. Adenocarcinomatous changes are often observed in the background of an adenoma. Double or triple cancer with an adenoma and adenocarcinoma in the biliary tract can be the crucial evidence of the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. We first performed laparoscopic surgery on a 63-year old male patient complaining of pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen and jaundice a week earlier, which was initially diagnosed by a radiologist as a sessile polyp of the gallbladder along with stones in the gallbladder and the common bile duct. A mass was found in the distal common bile duct and ampullary area during intraoperative choledochoscopy. The frozen sections taken during surgery indicated a cancer or dysplasia in the gallbladder and the distal common bile duct. The patient underwent a pylorus-preserving pancrea-toduodenectomy. The final diagnosis was a double primary can-cer originating in the gallbladder and the ampulla of Vater with an adnocarcinoma in an adenoma. We report this case with review of the relevant literature.
Abdomen ; Adenocarcinoma ; Adenoma ; Ampulla of Vater* ; Biliary Tract ; Common Bile Duct ; Diagnosis ; Frozen Sections ; Gallbladder ; Gallbladder Neoplasms* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Laparoscopy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyps

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In recent years, a large number of micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) have been identified as putative prognostic biomarkers for solid cancers because of their role in controlling the expression of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. The aim of this study was to verify the utility of miRNA 141 as a prognostic biomarker of biliary tract cancers. METHODS: From June 2010 to June 2012, common bile duct cancer tissue samples and matched noncancerous tissues from the ampulla of Vater were obtained from patients with biliary tract cancer undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays, we measured the mean relative expression levels of miRNA 141 in both groups of tissues. Overexpression of miRNA 141 was defined as a greater than 2-fold increase in expression levels as determined by the 2−ΔΔCt method. RESULTS: In a cohort of 38 patients with biliary tract cancers (seven gallbladder, 13 hilar, and 18 distal bile duct cancers), 26 patients (68.4%) were male, and the median age was 69.5 (52 to 85) years. Nineteen patients (50%) had undergone R0 resection procedures, including three Whipple operations, seven pylorus-preserving pancreaticoduodenectomies, six bile duct resections, and three extended lobectomies. Among the patients who had undergone R0 resection, the overexpression of miRNA 141 was significantly associated with shorter disease-free survival and a greater risk of angiolymphatic invasion. Among the patients who did not undergo R0 resection, miRNA 141 overexpression was significantly associated with reduced overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Overexpression of miRNA 141 is an indicator of a poor prognosis in patients with biliary tract cancer, suggesting that miRNA 141 may be a valuable prognostic biomarker of this disease.
Ampulla of Vater ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract Neoplasms* ; Biliary Tract* ; Biomarkers ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cohort Studies ; Common Bile Duct ; Disease-Free Survival ; Gallbladder ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; MicroRNAs* ; Oncogenes ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Prognosis ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction