Carcinoma of the gallbladder is a rare malignancy, with an incidence rate in the United States of 2.2 to 4.4 per 100,000 persons. Its clinical presentation is nonspecific, and the majority of patients have advanced disease at presentation. The diagnosis is rarely made preoperatively. The role of radical surgery with node dissection and liver resection is controversial. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy do not have a major role in the treatment of gallbladder carcinoma.
Palliative operation plays an important part in the treatment of periampullary carcinoma.
Eight patients underwent this surgery. In seven of these, radical resection proved to be impossible, and in one the duodeno-biliary decompression was attempted before the radical operation. Early results were satisfactory in all patients. They began to eat liquid meals within a week, and were discharged uneventfully within the third postoperative week, when they were able to eat a regular diet. No ulcer developed in any of the patients.