Coexistence of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis and gallbladder adenocarcinoma: a fortuitous association?

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis is a relatively uncommon variant of chronic cholecystitis, characterized by marked thickening of the gallbladder wall and dense local adhesions. Not only does xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis mimic malignancy, it can also be infrequently associated with gallbladder carcinoma in 0.2% to 35.4% of cases. Herein, the authors report a new case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis concomitant with gallbladder adenocarcinoma in a 65-year-old female patient. Because of its overlapping clinical, radiological and macroscopic findings with gallbladder cancer, definitive diagnosis of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis relies on extensive sampling and thorough microscopic examination of the surgical specimen to exclude the possibility of coexisting tumour. It is still a matter of debate whether xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis is truly a precursor of gallbladder carcinoma or if it is just an incidental finding. This aspect needs to be explored in the future with further studies.