title: Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the colon: what should we target?
abstract: Hepatoid adenocarcinoma is a rare extra hepatic neoplasm that displays morphological and phenotypic features similar to those of hepatocellular carcinoma. We report a case of a 75-year-old woman, presenting with abdominal pain and complaints of weakness and lost of appetite, who was found to have a mass on her right colon. She underwent right hemicolectomy for a pT3N2M0, stage IIIC colon cancer. The tumor phenotype and immunophenotype, as documented by alpha-fetoprotein immunoreaction positivity, were consistent with adenocarcinoma of hepatoid origin. The patient received FOLFOX-4 regimen as adjuvant treatment, relapsed after six cycles, then was switched to FOLFIRI regimen plus Bevacizumab and progressed after only four cycles. She died 1 month later, eight months after the diagnosis. The lack of any clinical benefit despite an aggressive and multimodal therapeutic strategy, raises a question about what should be targeted when we face this rare disease associated with a very poor prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology Unit 1, Veneto Institute of Oncology-IRCCS, Padua, Italy. alessandro.cappetta@gmail.com
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cappetta
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bergamo
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mescoli
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lonardi
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rugge
authors.forename: Vittorina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zagonel
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins