Gallbladder cancer accompanied by uncontrollable eosinophilia: report of a case

Abstract

A 48-year-old male was referred to our hospital for evaluation of motor speech disorders and difficulty in the movement of both the hands. The clinical diagnosis was Trousseau's syndrome due to advanced gallbladder cancer (cT3aN1M0). The patient received anticoagulation therapy and systemic chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin). Motor speech disorders and difficulty in movement of both hands were recovered. After 2 courses of chemotherapy, the primary tumor developed a massive hepatic invasion and the peripheral blood eosinophils increased gradually. The patient was admitted to our hospital for abdominal distension, fever, right upper quadrant pain, systemic edema, loss of appetite, and general malaise. The peripheral blood eosinophil count was markedly elevated to 45,900/mu l (90.3%). The serum level of GM-CSF was high and there was no evidence of leukemia, allergic status and other diseases. The patient was diagnosed as paraneoplastic eosinophilia with advanced gallbladder cancer, which was suspected to produce GM-CSF. The patient received palliative support and died of disseminated intravascular coagulation 15 days after admission. We herein reported a fatal case of gallbladder cancer suspected of producing GM-CSF.