Gall bladder cancer--radical surgery, the key role to improve outcome.

Gall bladder cancer is one of five most common malignancies of the gastro-intestinal tract. Most of the cancers are detected during histological examination after cholecystectomy. Females are more commonly affected than males with a ratio of 4:1. A direct association exists between the presence of cholelithiasis and the development of gall bladder carcinoma. In patients with gall bladder carcinoma the incidence of cholelithiasis ranges from 54-97 percent. Adenocarcinoma is the most common histological type but others can occur. We present four cases seen by a single surgeon in general surgical practice, during a four-year period. These cases demonstrate the varying histological types and the management of gall bladder carcinoma.