Conversion surgery following gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy for initially unresectable gallbladder cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Conversion surgery, which is defined as chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by radical surgery, may improve survival of patients with initially unresectable advanced biliary tract cancer, including gallbladder cancer. However, there are few reports on conversion surgery for advanced gallbladder cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with initially unresectable gallbladder cancer with peritoneal carcinomatosis. She underwent gemcitabine plus cisplatin therapy for 9 months. Extended cholecystectomy, resection of the extrahepatic bile duct with regional lymph node dissection, and total omentectomy were then performed as conversion surgery. The patient has survived without recurrence for 19 months postoperatively (31 months after the initial diagnosis) while continuing chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: This case suggests that conversion surgery for advanced gallbladder cancer is effective and may be curative for locally advanced disease and distant metastasis such as peritoneal carcinomatosis.