Long-term survival of stage 4 gallbladder cancer after extended radical surgery plus limited chemotherapy: a case report

Gallbladder cancers (GBC) are insidious, malignant, and associated with poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Long-term survival in advanced GBC is rare. Here, we report a case of a 45-year-old female who presented with intermittent right upper quadrant pain for 1 month. A gallbladder mass and two liver masses were identified on a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast, which was highly suspicious for GBC. The patient underwent extended radical surgery, and a low to moderately differentiated gallbladder adenocarcinoma was diagnosed through pathology. Postoperatively, the patient received chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin but only tolerated one cycle. The patient has been disease-free for over 7 years, representing an unusually long survival.