SURGICAL-PROCEDURES IN GALLBLADDER CANCER WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ITS MACROSCOPIC APPEARANCE

To investigate the relationships of the gross appearance to cancer dep th and microinvasion in gallbladder cancer, thirty-three cancers were macroscopically subgrouped: papillary (n=8), nodular (n=6), papillo-in vasive (n=1), nodulo-invasive (n=11), and invasive (n=7) type, respect ively. Papillary type cancers were limited to the mucosa or the muscul aris propria, without microinvasion. Most nodular type cancers infiltr ated to the subserosa with moderate microinvasion. The other types of cancer frequently invaded the subserosa or more, with high incidence o f microinvasion. Only the papillary type cancers indicated simple chol ecystectomy, the other types should be operated in accordance with inf iltration depth and degree of involvement.