Gallbladder metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma: Report of a case and review of literature

Results of laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation for HCC. Could the location of the tumour influence a complete response to treatment? A single European centre experience

“…Four routes have been described for HCC dissemination: lymphogenous, hematogenous via the portal venous system, direct invasion and peritoneal dissemination. In spite of the fact that none of the gallbladder specimens in the current series showed HCC invasion at pathological examination, it has previously been proposed the invasion of the pericholecystic veins as the disseminating mechanism . The lower rate of treatment efficacy in nodules adjacent to the gallbladder in the current series could be maybe explained by satellite lesions or thrombus involving those cholecystic veins of the gallbladder bed (which might be exposed during cholecystectomy), and therefore a more advanced disease not completely treated by the LRFA zone.…”

“…In spite of the fact that none of the gallbladder specimens in the current series showed HCC invasion at pathological examination, it has previously been proposed the invasion of the pericholecystic veins as the disseminating mechanism. 28,29 The lower rate of treatment efficacy in nodules adjacent to the gallbladder in the current series could be maybe explained by satellite lesions or thrombus involving those cholecystic veins of the gallbladder bed (which might be exposed during cholecystectomy), and therefore a more advanced disease not completely treated by the LRFA zone. Moreover, cholecystectomy may have artefacted ultrasound images precluding an adequate assessment of the ablation zone.…”

A Rare Presentation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Infiltrating the Gallbladder

“…The lungs, abdominal lymph nodes, and bones are the commonest sites of extrahepatic invasion [2-3]. The incidence of metastasis to the gallbladder is extremely rare and there are only case reports or case series available in literature [2,6]. HCC commonly shows intrahepatic spread as compared to extrahepatic malignancy.…”

Melanocytic, Neuroectodermal, Germ Cell, Rhabdoid, Perivascular Epithelioid Cell, Hemolymphatic, and Metastatic Tumors of the Gallbladder

“…Apart from direct invasion of the gallbladder fossa and the gallbladder itself, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is known to produce true hematogenous gallbladder metastases (Maruo et al 1994;Nishida et al 1997;Lane and Walker 2002;Han and Kim 2005;Terashima et al 2007;Ando and Sakamoto 2009;Murakami et al 2010;Kanzaki et al 2011;Monden et al 2011;Wakasugi et al 2012). There seems to be a relationship between the intrahepatic site of HCC and gallbladder metastasis.…”

“…There seems to be a relationship between the intrahepatic site of HCC and gallbladder metastasis. The majority of reported cases had a primary tumor in segments S4 or S5, and most cases had portal vein thrombosis, suggesting a role of distinct vascular relationships (review: Wakasugi et al 2012). Four possible routes for the trafficking of HCC cells to the gallbladder have been proposed: a hematogenous route via the portal venous system (mostly associated with portal vein thrombosis), a lymphatic route, a route through direct invasion from the liver, and a route using pathways via peritoneal dissemination (Nakashima et al 1983).…”