Lymph node recurrence of gallbladder carcinoma successfully managed by systemic chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and mitomycin C: report of a 5-year survivor

Although gallbladder cancer (GBC) is believed to be chemoresistant, the effectiveness of chemotherapy against lymph node metastasis has been reported. We report a 70-year-old woman with advanced GBC in whom isolated, widespread lymph nodal recurrence after a radical resection responded completely to systemic chemotherapy with mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil. This patient remains symtom-free with no evidence of disease at 6 years after surgery (5 years after the initiation of chemotherapy). Both our case and a literature review suggest that nodal disease appears more chemosensitive than the primary lesion in GBC. Chemotherapy may provide long-term palliation for selected patients with isolated nodal recurrence.