Korean Journal of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy 2011;42(6): 424-427.
A Case of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Gallbladder That Was
Diagnosed by Endoscopy
Hyon A Lee, M.D., Hong Joo Kim, M.D., Mi Yeon Jung, M.D. and Dong Seok Shin, M.D.
Department of Internal Medicine, Kangbuk Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Abstract
A neuroendocrine carcinoma mostly occurs in gastrointestinal tract, lung and pancreas. The gallbladder is an uncommon organ occurring a neuroendocrine carcinoma and it is difficult to diagnose before operation of gallbladder. It is not definitely established to natural course and treatment owing to its rare occurrence. A 71-year-old woman was hospitalized with intermittent abdominal pain and nausea. Abdominal computed tomography showed multiple masses of gallbladder obstructing biliary tract, and she was suspected of carcinoma of gallbladder infiltrating a common bile duct in endoscopic ultrasonography. She took a biopsy through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine carcinoma of gallbladder. We report a case of a neuroendocrine carcinoma of gallbladder confirmed by endoscopic biopsy, with a review of literature.