title: Clinical features and outcomes of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas (PHNECs) are extremely rare, with only about 150 cases having been reported in the English-language literature. Because of the rarity of PHNECs, its clinical features and treatment outcomes are not well understood. Here, we report our experiences with PHNECs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We identified patients diagnosed with PHNEC and analyzed their demographics, baseline laboratory data, tumor characteristics, treatment modalities and outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 218 consecutive patients were identified with pathologically confirmed neuroendocrine carcinoma. Of these, 12 patients were diagnosed with PHNECs; the median age was 66.5 years (range, 37 to 80 years), and seven patients (58.3%) were male. Two patients who each had a single hepatic mass underwent curative surgical resection. One patient who was of inoperable status at the initial diagnosis because of multiple intrahepatic metastases showed a partial response after the ninth round of systemic chemotherapy and then underwent surgical resection. The median overall survival in the 12 patients was 16.5 months (range, 0.7 to 41.7 months). Three patients who underwent surgical treatment are alive without recurrence for 15.2 months, 18.0 months, and 36.9 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma should be considered as a possible differential diagnosis in the management of hepatic tumors. The liver can be the primary origin of neuroendocrine tumors, and if the tumors are diagnosed as primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors, surgical resection must be considered for curative treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei Institute of Gastroenterology, Yonsei, Korea.
authors.forename: Chan Hyuk
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Joo Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Seon Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Moon Jae
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Seungmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bang
authors.forename: Seung Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Si Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jae Bock
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Jeong Youp
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome