Primary carcinoid tumor of the gallbladder: resection of a case metastasizing to the liver and analysis of outcomes

Abstract

Gallbladder carcinoid tumor is a rare and aggressive neoplasm, usually lacking specific symptoms, as they typically are unassociated with the carcinoid syndrome, despite frequent hepatic spread. The patient was an 81-year-old man with right upper quadrant pain who underwent radical surgery for carcinoid tumor of the gallbladder with liver metastasis (preoperative diagnosis, carcinoma). We analyzed the outcome of previously reported cases of gallbladder carcinoid. Increasing tumor size and depth of invasion progressively compromised the 2-year survival. These findings underscore the importance of early detection.