Pathology report assessment of incidental gallbladder carcinoma diagnosed from cholecystectomy specimens: results of a French multicentre survey

Abstract

Aims: To assess the accuracy of pathology reports on gallbladder specimens from patients operated on for incidental gallbladder carcinoma.

Methods: Demographic data, details on pathological reports including gross and microscopic features section were recorded in 100 selected patients with incidental gallbladder carcinoma diagnosed from 2004 to 2007.

Results: Pathology reports had a conventional format in 93% of cases, without any standardization. Turnaround time ranged from 1 to 35 days. Frozen sections were performed in 20% of cases. The reports failed to give information on prognostic histological factors: exact tumour site (missing in 55% of cases), depth of tumour infiltration within the gallbladder wall (missing in 10%), surgical margins (missing in 40% for the cystic duct margin), tumour differentiation (missing in 28%), vascular invasion (missing in 52%) and perineural invasion (missing in 51%). Lymph node status could be assessed in 44% of cases. Distances between the tumour and the cystic duct and circumferential margins were not specified in 68% and 84% of cases. Only 29% of the reports clearly stated the pTNM stage in the conclusion section. The pT stage with margin status and tumour site was only mentioned in 30% of the reports.

Conclusion: Pathology reports on gallbladder carcinoma from participating centres frequently lacked important information on key prognostic histological factors.

Keywords: Gallbladder carcinoma; Pathologist; Pathology report.