Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is one of the commonest biliary malignancies seen in India, Argentina, and Japan. The disease has dismal outcome as it is detected quite late due to nonspecific symptoms and signs. Early detection is the only way to improve the outcome. There have been several advances in basic as well as clinical research in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic diseases in the West and other developed countries but not enough has been done in GBC. Therefore, it is important and the responsibility of the countries with high burden of GBC to find solutions to the many unanswered questions like etiopathogenesis, early diagnosis, treatment, and prognostication. As India being one of the largest hubs for GBC in the world, it is important to know how the country has progressed on GBC. In this review, we will discuss the outcome of the publications from India highlighting the work and the developments taken place in past several decades both in basic and clinical research.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare destructive inflammatory disease of the gallbladder. It is frequently misdiagnosed as gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) as it mimics latter with regard to clinical manifestations, imaging and intraoperative findings, often leading to extended surgical resection in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic dilemma of XGC cases clinico-radiologically diagnosed with GBC.

From January 2017 to June 2019, a total of eight cases histopathologically diagnosed as XGC, were misdiagnosed with GBC based on preoperative and intra-operative findings. The clinical characteristics, imaging, intra-operative findings, and surgical data of these patients were collected and analyzed.

A total of 2154 cholecystectomy specimens were received in the histopathology section during the study period. Sixty-nine cases (3.2%) were histologically diagnosed as XGC, of which 8 cases (11.6%) were preoperatively diagnosed with GBC. These cases were predominantly seen in males in the age range of 24-62 years. The most common clinical presentation was chronic cholecystitis. Gallstones were present in all the 8 cases. Six cases presented with heterogeneous enhancement within thickened gallbladder walls on imaging. Intraoperatively, adhesions to adjacent organs were observed in seven cases. All these eight cases misdiagnosed with GBC underwent aggressive surgical treatment following which histopathology ultimately revealed XGC.

Neither clinical manifestations nor laboratory tests/radiological methods can provide an effective means of differentiating between XGC and GBC. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult, and histopathology remains the gold standard to differentiate the two entities.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare benign chronic inflammatory disease of the gallbladder that often presents as cholecystitis and most of the times requires surgical management. In addition, distinguishing XGC from gallbladder cancer preoperatively is still a challenge. The aim of the present systematic review was to outline the clinical presentation and surgical approach of XGC.

The present systematic review was designed using the PRISMA and AMSTAR guidelines. We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Clinicaltrials.gov, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Google Scholar databases from inception until June 2020.

The laparoscopic cholecystectomy rate (34%) was almost equal to the open cholecystectomy rate (47%) for XGC. An important conversion rate (35%) was observed as well. The XGC cases treated by surgery were associated with low mortality (0.3%), limited intraoperative blood loss (58-270 mL), low complication rates (2%-6%), along with extended operative time (82.6-120 minutes for laparoscopic and 59.6-240 minutes for open cholecystectomy) and hospital stay (3-9 days after laparoscopic and 8.3-18 days after open cholecystectomy). Intraoperative findings during cholecystectomies for XGC included empyema or Mirizzi syndrome. In addition, complex surgical procedures, like wedge hepatic resections and bile duct excision were required during operations for XGC.

XGC seemed to be a rare, benign inflammatory disease that presents similar features as gallbladder cancer. The mortality and complication rates of XGC were low, despite the complex surgical procedures that might be required in some cases.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon variant of chronic cholecystitis, characterized by focal or diffuse destructive inflammatory process. The importance of XGC is that it mimics gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) both preoperatively and intra-operatively, since it can present with pericholecystic infiltration, hepatic involvement and lymphadenopathy. As a result of this misdiagnosis which is not infrequent, the patient may need to undergo an unnecessary radical cholecystectomy rather than only a cholecystectomy which is associated with greater morbidity and mortality. Patients who underwent gallbladder and gallbladder-related operations during period of 5 years between 2010 and 2014 were reviewed (n = 462). A comparison of clinical, biochemical, radiological and operative features were made between patients with carcinoma gallbladder (n = 101) and xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (n = 22). Patient with a long history of recurrent abdominal pain with leucocytosis and who on imaging are found to have a diffusely thickened gallbladder wall (p < 0.01), with cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis and sub-mucosal hypoattenuated nodules (p < 0.05) are likely to have XGC while those with anorexia, weight loss, focal thickening of the gallbladder wall on imaging (p < 0.01) and dense local organ infiltration are more likely to have GBC. The presence of lymph nodes on imaging and the loss of fat plane interface between the liver and gallbladder are not differentiating factors. Differentiating XGC from GBC in preoperative setting is necessary to avoid radical procedures being done for a benign process. Certain clinical, radiological and intra-operative features aid in differentiating these benign and malignant process. However, the definitive diagnosis still remains a histopathological examination to avoid radical resection in patients who have a benign condition.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon variant of chronic cholecystitis, characterized by a focal or diffuse destructive inflammatory process. The importance of XGC is that it mimics gall bladder carcinoma (GBC) both preoperatively and intra-operatively, as it can present with pericholecystic infiltration, hepatic involvement and lymphadenopathy. As a result of a misdiagnosis, which is not infrequent, the patient may undergo an unnecessary radical cholecystectomy rather than only a cholecystectomy, which is associated with a greater morbidity and mortality. The main aim of the study is to formulate a simple preoperative scoring system for diagnosis of XGC which might benefit patients by avoiding radical procedures.

A retrospective study was done from all the patients who underwent gall bladder and gall bladder-related operations (benign and malignant), during a 5-year time period from 2010 to 2014 in a tertiary care centre were reviewed (n = 462).

Initial analyses of all the clinical and imaging parameters were done. Patients with a long history of recurrent abdominal pain with leucocytosis and who on imaging are found to have a diffusely thickened gall bladder wall, cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis and submucosal hypoattenuated nodules are likely to have XGC while those with anorexia, weight loss, focal thickening of the gall bladder wall on imaging and dense local organ infiltration are more likely to have GBC. The presence of lymph nodes on imaging and the loss of a fat plane interface between the liver and gall bladder are not differentiating factors. A scoring system was made by taking statistically significant features (n = 13) of clinical and imaging parameters in initial assessment to identify the features of XGC. The same scoring system was subsequently applied to the patients who underwent cholecystectomy to study the effectiveness and the results were reviewed.

High value scores (≥11/13) helps in diagnosing XGC in preoperative setting. Hence, intra-operative frozen section analysis can be avoided in such cases to differentiate XGC and GBC. However in difficult cases with high suspicion of malignancy based on clinical experience, definitive diagnosis still remains a histopathological examination to avoid radical resection in patients who have a benign condition.

Xanthoma is a reactive histiocytic proliferation in response to altered lipid levels. These develop usually in skin and subcutis but may also develop in deep soft tissue as tendon sheath or synovium. We report a rare case of tendinous xanthomatosis in a 23-year-old female, diagnosed on aspiration cytology.

To retrospectively evaluate CT findings of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) and to measure diagnostic performance for distinguishing it from gallbladder (GB) cancer.

Our institutional review board approved this retrospective study. Three blinded radiologists, first independently and then in consensus, retrospectively evaluated postcontrast CT images of 35 patients with histopathologically proved XGC and GB cancer, all of whom subsequently had cholecystectomy. These included 18 patients with XGC (13 male, 5 female; age range, 35-84, mean 63 years) and 17 with GB cancer (6 male, 11 female; age range, 45-95, mean 69). Differences in CT findings between XGC and GB cancer and diagnostic performances for each CT finding were calculated. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were calculated for each radiologist and observer performance was also determined by receiver-operating-characteristic curve analysis.

Five CT findings showed significant differences between XGC and GB cancer. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each finding for the differentiation of XGC were 89%, 65%, 77% with diffuse GB wall thickening, 67%, 82%, 74% with a continuous mucosal line, 61%, 71%, 66% with intra-mural hypo-attenuated nodules, 72%, 77%, 74% with absence of macroscopic hepatic invasion, and 67%, 71%, 69% with absence of intra-hepatic bile duct dilatation, respectively. When at least three of these five CT findings were observed in combination, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 83%, 100% and 91%, respectively. Sensitivities, specificities and Az values for the differentiation of XGC from GB cancer were 83%, 88%, 0.94 for reader 1, 78%, 88%, 0.93 for reader 2, and 78%, 82%, 0.84 for reader 3.

The combination of three of the five CT findings that are common with XGC can provide excellent accuracy for the differentiation of XGC and GB cancer.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a benign, invasive variant of chronic cholecystitis. Invasion of common bile duct (CBD), termed as xanthogranulomatous choledochitis, may mimic malignancy. We describe clinico-pathological features and management of xanthogranulomatous inflammatory biliary strictures.

A review of a prospectively maintained database for XGC was performed.

Out of 6,150 cholecystectomies performed, 620 patients had XGC (10% incidence). Four patients had biliary strictures with xanthogranulomatous choledochitis on final histology. All four patients presented with jaundice and history of cholangitis. Ultrasonography revealed gallstones and thick-walled gallbladder in all. Two patients had hilar strictures: one had mid-CBD stricture and one had a lower-CBD stricture with a dilated pancreatic duct. In all four patients, preoperative diagnosis of malignancy was entertained. Three patients underwent resection-CBD excision for mid-CBD stricture, pancreaticoduodenectomy for lower-end stricture, and right hepatectomy for hilar stricture with atrophy-hypertrophy complex. One patient with unresectable hilar stricture underwent hepaticojejunostomy.

Xanthogranulomatous choledochitis may be considered as one of the differential diagnosis in patients with biliary stricture especially in a geographical area with a high incidence of XGC, when a patient harbors gall stones and had thick-walled gall bladder on imaging. This stricture can be found anywhere in the biliary tree from hepatic hilum to the lower end. However, preoperative imaging and cytology are unreliable both in confirming the diagnosis or ruling out malignancy. Therefore, resection of the stricture should be attempted wherever feasible.

The demographic and clinical aspects of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) over a period of 15 years are reviewed. The review entailed examining 12,426 clinical files of patients who had undergone cholecystectomy, including 182 patients with a histopathologic diagnosis of XGC. Altogether, 1.46% of the cholecystectomies performed were done on patients with a diagnosis of XGC. XGC presented in patients over the age of 32, with a male/female ratio of 2:1. Thickening of the gallbladder wall, seen on ultrasonography and computed tomography scans, was demonstrated in 100% of the cases. A total of 17% of the cases presented in acute form. Obstructive jaundice was observed in 23% of the patients, 11 of which cases were associated with choledocholithiasis (30% of these patients had jaundice) and the rest with extrinsic obstruction of the bile tract (Mirizzi syndrome). XGC was associated with lithiasis in 85% of the cases. A malignant lesion was suspected during operation in 30% of the cases, requiring histopathologic examination during surgery. Carcinomatous lesions were found in 3% of the cases. Surgical difficulty was reported in 65% of the cases, resulting in the performance of partial cholecystectomy in 35%. XGC is an infrequent form of chronic inflammation of the gallbladder, the clinical presentation of which is similar to that of cholecystitis; given the thickening of the gallbladder wall, it makes cholecystectomy difficult. As XGC may resemble adenocarcinoma, differentiation is essential by means of intraoperative histologic examination to ensure optimal surgical treatment.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the sonographic and CT features of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis, correlating the pathologic and surgical findings.

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis was pathologically diagnosed in 26 patients from January 1996 to August 1998. The patients were 15 women and 11 men with a mean age of 63 years. All patients had preoperative sonography and nine also underwent CT In five patients, sonography was performed on the surgical specimen. Clinical indications for imaging included cholecystitis (14 patients), biliary colic (six patients), stone-induced pancreatitis (three patients), tumor (two patients), and gallstone ileus (one patient).

The most characteristic sonographic finding, confirmed by sonographic study of the surgical specimens, was the presence of hypoechoic nodules or bands in the gallbladder wall, which were seen in 35% of the patients. Cholelithiasis and a thickened gallbladder wall were frequent findings. The most characteristic (specific) CT finding was a hypodense band in the gallbladder wall, seen in 33% of the patients. Two of twelve patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy required conversion to open surgery.

Although the preoperative imaging diagnosis of xanthoganulomatous cholecystitis is difficult, the presence of hypoechoic nodules or bands in the gallbladder wall on sonography or of a hypodense band around the gallbladder on CT, is highly suggestive of this disease.