Colloid Carcinoma of the Extrahepatic Biliary Tract with Metastatic Lymphadenopathy Mimicking Cystic Neoplasm: A Case Report

The patient is a previously healthy 52-year-old woman who presented with dyspepsia for two months. Multiple imaging modalities including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed diffuse bile duct dilatation with an obstructive lesion of the distal extrahepatic biliary duct (EHD) as well as two masses in the peripancreatic area. The peripancreatic masses appeared cystic with posterior acoustic enhancement on ultrasound, low density on CT imaging, and high signal intensity on T2-weighted MRI. The lesion in the distal EHD exhibited similar characteristics on CT and MRI. A Whipple procedure was performed and histological specimens showed malignant cells with large mucin pools that was consistent with a diagnosis of colloid carcinoma of the EHD with metastatic lymphadenopathies.

Colloid carcinoma, also called mucinous carcinoma, is classified as a histologic variant of adenocarcinoma. Because the colloid carcinoma of the biliary tree is exceedingly rare, the imaging characteristics and the clinical features of colloid carcinoma remain relatively unknown. We report a case of colloid carcinoma of the common bile duct and its accompanied metastatic lymphadenopathies with characteristic imaging findings reflecting abundant intratumoral mucin pools.