Twenty patients (7.4%) with adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder were selected from 271 surgically resected gallbladder cancers. The 20 patients were composed of 8 men and 12 women with a mean age of 66.9 years. Histologically, all twenty tumors showed an abrupt transition between the adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) areas, and well differentiated AC was also found in the peripheral area of the tumor. A histochemical and immunohistochemical study using alcian blue, periodic acid‐Schiff, cytokeratins, involculin and tissue polypeptide antigen disclosed a different nature of the two components. DNA heterogeneity between the components was detected in 5 of 7 cases by flow cytometry. The positive rate of immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen in the SCC areas (mean 20.55%) was larger than that of the AC areas (mean 11.40%) (P=0.0029), which indicated that the SCC areas had a greater proliferative capacity than AC areas. These results suggest that the SCC component of adenosquamous carcinoma of the gallbladder arose by a stepwise molecular progression of the pre‐existing AC. Furthermore, the prognosis of adenosquamous carcinomas of the gallbladder (mean survival: 10 months) in the advanced stage (pTNM 2–4) was less favorable than those of papillary and well differentiated AC (mean survival: 99 months and 86 months) (p<0.0001).

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Five patients with early carcinoma of the gallbladder detected by ultrasonography were studied. Three complained of non-specific upper abdominal symptoms or were asymptomatic and two had severe biliary colic. Gallstones were present in the two patients without biliary symptoms. Early carcinoma of the gallbladder was demonstrated as a polypoid tumour by ultrasound in four patients and as thickening of the gallbladder wall in one. The tumour was over 2 cm in diameter in all but one patient in whom the tumour enlarged rapidly from 5 to 10 mm. Size of the tumour and extent of spread were closely related. All but one patient underwent curative resection. Ultrasonography enhances the detection of early carcinoma of the gallbladder especially in old patients with non-specific abdominal symptoms and the operative cure rate is thereby improved.

Malignant duodenocolic fistula is a rare complication of gastrointestinal malignancy. We present herein the case of a 34-year-old female in whom a large duodenocolic fistula was caused by advanced transverse colonic carcinoma. Right hemicolectomy combined with pancreaticoduodenectomy enabled en bloc resection of the tumor, and the patient has been free of disease for 1 year and 8 months postoperatively. A review of the international literature, including 33 cases reported in Japan, indicates that if the disease is curable, the treatment of choice is right hemicolectomy with pancreaticoduodenectomy, whereas if it is not curable but locally resectable, the best palliation appears to be right hemicolectomy with partial duodenectomy to include the fistulous tract. Dehiscence of the duodenal wound closure associated with partial duodenectomy can be prevented by using the mucosal or serosal patch techniques with intestinal loops. These therapeutic principles are also applicable for colonic carcinoma which massively involves the duodenum without fistula formation.

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