Impact of Routine Histopathological Examination of Gall Bladder Specimens on Early Detection of Malignancy - A Study of 4,115 Cholecystectomy Specimens

Gall bladder carcinoma is the most common cancer of biliary tree, characterized by rapid progression and avery high mortality rate. Detection at an early stage, however, is indicative of a very good prognosis and prolongedsurvival. The practice of histopathological examination of gall bladder specimens removed for clinically benignconditions and its usefulness has been a subject of controversy. The present prospective study was carried out overa period of four years in order to find out the incidence of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma in cholecystectomyspecimens received in our histopathology laboratory and to analyze their clinico-pathological features. A totalof 4,115 cases were examined. Incidentally detected cases comprised 0.44%, which accounted for 72% of all gallbladder carcinomas detected. The majority were in an early, surgically resectable stage. From the results of thisstudy we recommend that in India and other countries with relatively high incidences of gall bladder carcinoma,all cholecystectomy specimens should be submitted to histopathology laboratory, as this is the only means bywhich malignancies can be detected at an early, potentially curable stage.