title: Infantile hemangioendothelioma with a highly elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein level.
abstract: Infantile hemangioendothelioma is the most common vascular tumor in infancy. A three-month-old infant was admitted to the hospital for hepatomegaly. Abdominal ultrasonography, a CT-scan, and MRI studies demonstrated bilateral diffuse hepatic nodules, which were characteristic of hepatic hemangioendothelioma. A highly elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level misled us to an impression of hepatoblastoma, but the pathology report through an open biopsy disclosed a liver hemangioendothelioma. The patient responded to methylprednisolone therapy. A follow-up sonogram revealed regression of the hepatic masses. This case emphasizes that an elevated AFP level of up to 400 ng/ml is normally found in some neonates until two months of age. Careful interpretation of this value is very important, especially when it is associated with a hepatic tumor. Herein, we present a case of infantile hemangioendothelioma in a three-month-old boy with a highly elevated serum AFP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Taiwan.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006390:Hemangioendothelioma / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D008775:Methylprednisolone