HighlightsPrimary carcinosarcoma is a rare neoplasm of the gallbladder.It is characterised by collision of adenocarcinomatous and sarcomatous components.This series shows that complete resection is the only means of extending survival.The role of adjuvant therapy remains unclear.

BackgroundThere is paucity in the literature regarding gallbladder cancer in Saudi Arabia, possibly because it is not among the top 10 cancers diagnosed nationwide according to the Saudi Cancer Registry. Moreover, national or regional data on gallbladder cancer in Saudi Arabia have not been analyzed. The purpose of this study was to describe the presentation, disease stage, histology, and survival rates for gallbladder cancer in Saudi patients at a single institution between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017.Materials and methodsThis was a retrospective study of 76 patients who presented to our hospital between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017, with established diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma. The diagnosis was made either histopathologically following simple laparoscopic cholecystectomy or biopsy from metastatic liver lesion in patients with gallbladder mass, or the high suspicion of gallbladder carcinoma based on incidental radiological findings. Presentation, disease stage, histology, and treatment modalities were analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency distributions. Survival rates were analyzed and presented using Kaplan-Meier curves.ResultsBased on initial analyses the disease was more frequent among women (62.0%) than men (39.0%). Surgical resection was attempted in 40.8% patients. The average age at presentation and diagnosis of gallbladder carcinoma was 62.4 years. The disease had two peaks, one at 51.0 years and the other between 66.0 and 70.0 years. The median survival time for the overall at-risk patients was only 1.0 year, while for stage IVB patients was 7.2 months. Adenocarcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS) was the most common histopathology type (75.0%), with most patients presenting with stage IVB disease (75.0%). Gallbladder carcinoma was incidentally detected in 42.1%, including three cases (3.9%) diagnosed at our hospital.ConclusionsGallbladder cancer is a rare type of cancer in Saudi Arabia, and most patients are treated surgically, despite being mostly diagnosed at the advanced stage of the disease.

HighlightsThere is paucity in the literature regarding gallbladder cancer in Saudi Arabia.Only 3% of gallbladder cancers worldwide are primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).We present the first case of primary gallbladder SCC reported in Saudi Arabia.Physicians should be aware of this cancer even if it is rare in our country.We should consider gallbladder cancer when diagnosing gallbladder-related symptoms.

Patient: Female, 39Final Diagnosis: Recurrent strangulated rectal prolapseSymptoms: Chronic constipation • painful rectal mass • irreducible rectal prolapseMedication: —Clinical Procedure: OperationSpecialty: SurgeryObjective:Management of emergency careBackground:Rectal prolapse is an uncommon disease that usually requires surgical intervention. Several techniques have been described with either an abdominal or perineal approach, the latter having a higher recurrence rate. In case of irreducible and strangulated full-thickness prolapse, a perineal approach is necessary, and efforts should be made to reduce recurrence rates.Case Report:A 39-year-old mentally retarded woman presented with a painful, recurrent, strangulated sigmoid prolapse following a perineal recto-sigmoidectomy (Altemeier’s procedure) for strangulated rectal prolapse 2 months previously. Examination revealed a 10-cm strangulated, prolapsed sigmoid. A laparoscopic-assisted perineal sigmoid resection with colo-anal anastomosis was carried out. The patient made an uneventful recovery and was discharged on the 6th postoperative day.Conclusions:This is the second report in the literature highlighting the role of laparoscopy in Altemeier’s procedure for strangulated prolapse. Laparoscopy aids assessment of sigmoid length, allows colonic mobilization, and assures that all redundant bowel is excised. This approach can reduce recurrence rate and need of further surgical interventions.