Carcinoma of the gallbladder from an anomalous connection between the bile duct and the pancreatic duct.

Anomalous connection between the common bile duct and the pancreatic duct has recently been reported to be associated with cancerous changes of the biliary tract. A 52-year-old Chinese man had a fungating tumor in the gallbladder, and a long common channel between the bile duct and the pancreatic duct. The association of these two rare disease entities especially in a Chinese man may imply a close relationship between pancreatobiliary anomalous connection and the gallbladder cancer. It is thus prudent to monitor patients with such an anomalous connection closely by serial ultrasonic examination. More aggressively, prophylactic cholecystectomy and reconstruction of the biliary tract may be indicated.