title: Hepatic carcinosarcoma: clinicopathologic features and a review of the literature.
abstract: Hepatic carcinosarcoma (HCS) is defined as a malignant tumor containing an intimate mixture of carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. Here, we report the case of a 72-year-old man who developed HCS from an otherwise normal liver. The patient had no history of alcohol abuse or hepatitis B or C infection. An enhanced abdominal CT scan revealed a 9-cm heterogeneous tumor, with enhancement during the arterial phase and delayed wash-out in the latter phases. Also, a marked elevation in alpha-fetoprotein level (15,164 ng/mL; normal range, < 10 ng/mL) was noted. He underwent resection of liver segments V and VI under a pre-operative diagnosis of atypical hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The diagnosis of HCS was made based on thorough pathologic examination with a panel of immunohistochemical staining. Following surgery, the patient made an uneventful recovery, and at present, 16 months post-surgery, he remains well with no evidence of tumor recurrence. In conclusion, pre-operative diagnosis of HCS is difficult and radical resection in the early stage is encouraged to improve the prognosis of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mackay Memorial Hospital, No. 92 Section 2 Chung-Shan North Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yang-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tao-Yeuan
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jiunn-Chang
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Horng-Yuan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kuei-Fang
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Shou-Chuan
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Ming-Jen
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002296:Carcinosarcoma / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: C097353:AFP protein, human; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins