Pelioid-type hepatocellular carcinoma with numerous eosinophilic infiltrations in a patient with primary biliary cirrhosis

Hepatol Res. 2008 Apr;38(4):421-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1872-034X.2007.00277.x. Epub 2007 Nov 16.

Abstract

A 65-year-old woman with liver injury was referred to our hospital in 1992. She was diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) of Scheuer's histological classification stage IV. She was treated with 600 mg/day of ursodeoxycholic acid. A 1-cm mass in S7 was detected in August 1995. The serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level increased to 1288 ng/mL in January 1996. Angiography showed a cotton wool-like appearance in the delayed phase. Because the size of the tumor appeared to be increasing and the serum AFP levels increased with high levels of L3 fraction, a pelioid-type hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was strongly suspected. Hepatic artery infusion with SMANCS and partial resection of S7 and S8 of the liver were performed in March 1996. The pathological diagnosis for theresected liver tumor was pelioid-type HCC. The serum AFP level decreased to 50 ng/mL after the operation, but relapsed HCC was detected in S6 and S7. Angiography in September 1996 revealed multiple hypervascular lesions, and hepatic artery infusion with SMANCS was again performed; however, we were unable to suppress the progression of the relapsed HCC. The patient died due to an intra-abdominal rupture of relapsed HCC and subsequent liver failure in December 1996. We report a rare case of pelioid-type HCC with numerous eosinophilic infiltrations arising from PBC.