Yu JQ, He XS, Xue YZ, Hu LY, Wen X, Yang XD, Zhou X. Gallbladder small cell carcinoma from chronic cholecystitis: A case report and review of literature. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(1): 114477 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i1.114477]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xue Zhou, MD, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, No. 1518 Huancheng North Road, Nanhu District, Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang Province, China. zhouxuechn@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Surgery
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Jan 27, 2026 (publication date) through Jan 28, 2026
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery
ISSN
1948-9366
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Yu JQ, He XS, Xue YZ, Hu LY, Wen X, Yang XD, Zhou X. Gallbladder small cell carcinoma from chronic cholecystitis: A case report and review of literature. World J Gastrointest Surg 2026; 18(1): 114477 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i1.114477]
Jia-Qi Yu, Yu-Zhe Xue, Jiaxing University Master Degree Cultivation Base, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, Zhejiang Province, China
Xue-Song He, Ling-Yu Hu, Xu Wen, Xiao-Dan Yang, Xue Zhou, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-first authors: Jia-Qi Yu and Xue-Song He.
Author contributions: Yu JQ and He XS contributed equally to this work and conceptualized the study as co-first authors; Zhou X supervised the project and was responsible for critical revision of the manuscript; Xue YZ and Hu LY collected the clinical data and prepared the figures; Wen X and Yang XD performed the literature review and data analysis; Yu JQ and He XS wrote the original draft of the manuscript; Zhou X reviewed and edited the final version; all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Informed consent statement: The patient has signed the written informed consent form.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xue Zhou, MD, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Jiaxing University, No. 1518 Huancheng North Road, Nanhu District, Jiaxing 314000, Zhejiang Province, China. zhouxuechn@163.com
Received: September 22, 2025 Revised: October 18, 2025 Accepted: November 21, 2025 Published online: January 27, 2026 Processing time: 123 Days and 15.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Chronic calculous cholecystitis (CCC), caused by persistent gallstone-induced inflammation, can lead to development of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SCNEC) of the gallbladder through chronic irritation, cellular damage, and repair. This report describes a rare case of advanced SCNEC of the gallbladder potentially induced by CCC and highlights its clinical features and treatment challenges.
CASE SUMMARY
A 64-year-old woman with a history of CCC presented with persistent right upper quadrant pain. Imaging revealed a mass in the gallbladder and hepatic hilum. The patient underwent radical cholecystectomy and hepatic resection. Histopathological examination confirmed SCNEC with synaptophysin and CD56 positivity and Ki-67 of 80%. Due to severe hepatic dysfunction (total bilirubin ≥ 300 μmol/L, albumin ≤ 25 g/L), chemotherapy was contraindicated. The patient’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and she died 2 months postoperatively.
CONCLUSION
Early detection and surgical intervention are critical for improving outcomes in gallbladder SCNEC associated with chronic inflammation.
Core Tip: Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors are relatively common, but gallbladder small cell carcinoma (SCC) is an extremely rare subtype, with limited clinical reports and no established treatment guidelines. Most clinicians manage SCC as gallbladder cancer, yet the 5-year survival rate for early- and mid-stage SCC exceeds 94%, significantly higher than that of typical gallbladder adenocarcinoma. Misdiagnosis and delayed treatment can significantly increase mortality. Due to the rarity of cases, clinicians often lack familiarity with the clinical features and imaging characteristics of gallbladder SCC, leading to diagnostic challenges. This report highlights the importance of timely recognition and radical surgical management to improve outcomes.
