Gallbladder & Extrahepatic Bile Ducts

C23-C24WHO Vol. 1

Digestive System

Prognosis

This section is being prepared by our editorial process.

🔬 Histological Types

📚 Latest Research

2026-09-09

Subtle surface changes revealing malignant transformation in an ampullary adenomyoma.

Akiyama S, et al

Endoscopic detection of subtle surface changes in an ampullary adenomyoma can signal early malignant transformation, a finding with significant clinical implications for surveillance of this rare benign lesion. Ampullary adenomyomas are uncommon lesions of the ampulla of Vater that are generally considered benign, yet this report highlights that careful endoscopic assessment of mucosal surface patterns may uncover underlying malignancy before overt clinical signs appear. The case underscores the importance of high-resolution endoscopic evaluation and timely biopsy of any ampullary lesion showing even subtle morphological change, as delayed diagnosis of ampullary malignancy worsens prognosis. Clinicians managing patients with known or suspected ampullary adenomyomas should maintain a low threshold for repeat endoscopic examination and histological sampling.

Gastrointestinal endoscopy

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2026-09-07

Engineered Natural Killer Cell Derived-Extracellular Vesicles: An Acellular Immunotherapy with Cytotoxic Effects in SNU-1079 Human Cholangiocarcinoma Cells.

Gondaliya P, et al

Researchers demonstrated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from NK92 natural killer cells engineered to express a truncated, signaling-deficient form of PD-1 exert potent cytotoxic activity against SNU-1079 human cholangiocarcinoma cells in both monolayer cultures and multicellular tumor spheroids, establishing the feasibility of a scalable, cell-free immunotherapy for bile duct cancer. The study further showed that concurrent administration of gemcitabine upregulated NKG2D ligands on tumor cells, thereby increasing their susceptibility to killing by both NK cells and NK cell-derived EVs. These findings address critical limitations of live-cell therapies — including manufacturing complexity, poor tumor trafficking, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments — and position engineered NK cell-derived EVs as a promising acellular therapeutic strategy for cholangiocarcinoma.

Molecular pharmaceutics

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2026-09-07

One-Stage Percutaneous Self-Expandable Metal Stent Placement for Malignant Biliary Obstruction: A Five-Case Series.

Izumi H, et al

A retrospective five-case series from Tokai University Hospital shows that one-stage percutaneous self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement achieves 100% technical success with zero procedure-related complications in patients with malignant biliary obstruction who are ineligible for standard endoscopic treatment. The five patients — four women and one man with a median age of 68 years — had underlying malignancies including pancreatic head carcinoma (n=1), postoperative cholangiocarcinoma with lymph node recurrence (n=2), postoperative gallbladder carcinoma with lymph node recurrence (n=1), and postoperative gastric carcinoma with peritoneal dissemination (n=1), and presented with moderate (n=3) or mild (n=2) cholangitis per the Tokyo Guidelines 2018. By bypassing the need for an external drainage catheter, the technique offers rapid biliary decompression and may meaningfully improve quality of life. The authors conclude that, with careful patient selection, one-stage percutaneous SEMS is a safe and effective alternative when ERCP or endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage is not feasible.

The Tokai journal of experimental and clinical medicine

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