Ann Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg.  2021 Aug;25(3):445-449. 10.14701/ahbps.2021.25.3.445.

Malignant melanoma of the gallbladder: A case report and literature review

• Jeon HJ
• Kwon HJ
• Kim SG
• Hwang YJ

• KMID: 2519307
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14701/ahbps.2021.25.3.445

Abstract

Metastatic melanoma of the gallbladder is extremely rare. It has a poor prognosis. Its optimal treatment remains unclear. Surgical resection is generally considered the mainstay of treatment. However, there are no standards to guide the choice between open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. Criteria for the extent of surgical dissection have not been established yet either. We report a patient diagnosed with gallbladder cancer who underwent extended cholecystectomy but had metastatic melanoma at the final biopsy. We reviewed the literature on the treatment of metastatic melanoma in the gallbladder and compared it with our case to determine a treatment strategy.

Keyword

Malignant melanoma; Gallbladder cancer; Cholecystectomy

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Image of a black-pigmented lesion in the stomach cardia which was confirmed to be malignant melanoma by biopsy.

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  Fig. 2 Abdominal ultrasonography showing a nodular lesion in the gallbladder.

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  Fig. 3 Positron emission tomography-computed tomography confirming significant fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the gallbladder.

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  Fig. 4 Abdominal ultrasonography showing an increase in the size of the nodular gallbladder lesion.

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  Fig. 5 Computed tomography image depicting an exophytic gallbladder nodule that extends into the lumen. Our radiologist indicated a possible diagnosis of gallbladder cancer with adjacent organ invasion.

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  Fig. 6 Image of a polypoid mass attached to the gallbladder wall.

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  Fig. 7 Histological appearance of the gallbladder showing melanocyte extension into the subserosa after hematoxylin and eosin staining.

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