Radiology Case Reports (Jun 2021)

Chronic lymphoid leukemia metastasis to the gallbladder as a focal mass: A case report

  • Abtin Jafroodifar, MD,
  • Ryan Thibodeau, MPH,
  • Atin Goel, MBBS,
  • Marlon Coelho, MD,
  • Stephanie Bryant, MD,
  • Quoc Nguyen, MD,
  • Kavya Mirchia, MD,
  • Daniel J. Zaccarini, MD,
  • Andrij R. Wojtowycz, MD

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 6
pp. 1477 – 1484

Abstract

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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the second most common hematologic malignancy, and it is characterized by lymphocytic leukocytosis and secondary hematologic deficiencies. While it most commonly presents as a systemic disease, extramedullary involvement may rarely occur. The literature surrounding CLL metastatic disease to the gallbladder is particularly sparse. Interestingly, we describe a case of a 67-year-old female who presented with painless jaundice and was found to have a rapidly growing gallbladder wall mass which was determined to be CLL metastatic disease after extensive surgical resection. It is important for radiologists to recognize the possibility of CLL metastatic disease to the gallbladder when evaluating potential cases of cholecystitis due to the overlapping spectrum of imaging findings. Cognizant radiologists can potentially save patients from surgical intervention as CLL is classically treated with chemotherapy.

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