title: Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: A comparison of Western and Chinese methods with respect to diagnosis, treatment and outcome.
abstract: Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) is a rare tumor of vascular origin. Whether HEHE in Chinese patients exhibits similar characteristics compared with Western patients is not well known. The aim of the present study was to summarize the characteristics of HEHE in Chinese patients and identify its prognostic factors. In total, six patients diagnosed with HEHE at the Beijing Friendship Hospital between 2000 and 2012 were combined with 44 previously reported cases in China, retrieved from the literature between 1989 and mid-2012. These 50 cases from China were compared with 402 patients from Western populations. Prognostic factors were identified by the χ2test and Cox regression analysis. The male to female ratio of the Chinese patients was 1:2.1 with the mean age of 44.2 years (range, 22-86 years). The percentage of asymptomatic Chinese patients was significantly higher than in the Western patients (40.0 vs. 24.8%; P=0.026), and that of extrahepatic metastasis (16.0 vs. 36.6%; P=0.005) was significantly lower in Chinese patients. On imaging study, capsular retraction (59.5%) and calcification (26.0%), as well as positivity of CD34 (93.5%) and CD31 (80.6%), were more frequently found in the Chinese patients. Management for the Chinese patients included liver resection (LRx; 45.7%), liver transplantation (LTx; 5.7%), trans-catheter arterial chemoembolization (14.3%) and palliative treatment (34.3%). Chinese patients with larger-sized tumor nodules [relative risk (RR), 1.58; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.032-2.422; P=0.035) and diffuse type (RR, 12.17; 95% CI, 1.595-92.979; P=0.016) exhibited unfavorable outcomes. In contrast to Western patients with HEHE, a larger number of Chinese patients were asymptomatic with less extrahepatic metastasis. In China, LRx is widely adopted rather than LTx. Chinese patients with large tumor size or diffuse type may encounter a poorer prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xin Yan
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: International School of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Mohmedmohsin Ismail Ahmed
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Rakhda
authors.affiliation: International School of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Sohail
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Habib
authors.affiliation: International School of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bihi
authors.affiliation: International School of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Tai Ling
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Ji-Dong
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Jia
keywords: hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma; liver resection; liver transplantation; natural history; prognostic factor