Cholangiocarcinoma in Wilson's Disease - a Case Report

J Gastrointestin Liver Dis. 2017 Sep;26(3):305-308. doi: 10.15403/jgld.2014.1121.263.nem.

Abstract

It has been suggested that hepatobiliary carcinomas are less frequent in Wilson's disease (WD) than in liver diseases of other etiology. However, the protective role of copper against malignancies is debated. Only a few cases of cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) in WD have been published. Here we report on a case of a 47-year-old male H1069Q homozygous, Kayser-Fleischer ring positive WD patient with a low ceruloplasmin level who was followed up and treated with chelating agents throughout nine years. The patient presented with neurological symptoms and liver cirrhosis at diagnosis. Clinical symptoms regressed after the treatment initiation. Rapidly developed tumour metastases were found in the bones, lung and liver (without jaundice). Autopsy revealed cholangiocarcinoma as the primary tumour confirmed by strong CK7 positivity and glypican-3 negativity. The curiosity of the presented case is the very rapid development of CCC despite continuous chelating agent therapy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Autopsy
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / etiology*
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / genetics
  • Bile Duct Neoplasms / pathology
  • Chelating Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / etiology*
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / genetics
  • Cholangiocarcinoma / mortality
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases / genetics
  • Disease Progression
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / complications*
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / diagnosis
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / drug therapy
  • Hepatolenticular Degeneration / genetics
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation
  • Phenotype

Substances

  • Chelating Agents
  • ATP7B protein, human
  • Copper-Transporting ATPases