Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the anterior skull base: a case report

Skull Base Rep. 2011 Nov;1(2):95-8. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1276723. Epub 2011 Apr 11.

Abstract

We report the first case of hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the skull base, as well as the first reported case in the head and neck region. Hepatoid adenocarcinoma is a rare, aggressive, extrahepatic malignancy with a distinct morphological similarity to hepatocellular carcinoma, in the absence of primary hepatic disease. A 45-year-old man presented with sinus headaches and retro-orbital pain and was found to have a nasopharyngeal mass on endoscopy and a large, destructive sinonasal mass extending intracranially on imaging. Histo- and cytopathological features were similar to hepatocellular carcinoma, and the cells were immunoreactive for α-fetoprotein, epithelial membrane antigen, periodic acid-Schiff, cytokeratin (CK)8/18, CK19, and S100.

Keywords: AFP; Hepatoid adenocarcinoma; sinonasal tumors; skull base tumors.