title: Characteristics and treatment strategy of hepatic angiomyolipoma: a series of 94 patients collected from four institutions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report on a Chinese multicenter series of hepatic angiomyolipoma (HAML) patients and to study the characteristics and the treatment strategy of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 94 patients diagnosed with HAML from four institutions of China between December 1997 and January 2008 were reviewed retrospectively. Immunohistochemical assays were performed on the surgical specimens and follow up studies were done in all the patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  52 of 94 patients (55.3%) showed no significant clinical symptoms. There were no specific findings on laboratory examinations. The correct preoperative diagnostic rate of ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was 0% (0/94), 15.7% (11/70) and 22.7% (10/44), respectively. Regarding the treatment, 93 patients had a hepatectomy and 1 patient was treated by radiofrequency ablation. The postoperative pathology showed HAML in all the patients: 69 patients were studied with HMB-45 staining by immunohistochemistry and the positive rate was 100% . The postoperative follow-up rate was 91.5% (86/94), no sign of recurrence or metastasis was observed during the follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the largest HAML series reported in the literature. There are no specific signs and symptoms in HAML patients; the preoperative imaging diagnosis (including CT, MRI) is insensitive. The common pathological features include the basic histological components and expression of HMB-45. Conservative treatment is not suggested; surgical resection should be considered as a treatment choice for HAML.
authors: Department of General Surgery, Beijing Hospital, 1st Dahua Rd. Dongdan, Beijing 100730, PR China. zhigangchang@hotmail.com
authors: Zhi- Gang
authors: Z
authors: Chang
authors: Jin Ming
authors: JM
authors: Zhang
authors: Jiao Qian
authors: JQ
authors: Ying
authors: Yu Ping
authors: YP
authors: Ge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018207:Angiomyolipoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor