Korean J Med.  2015 Apr;88(4):424-429. 10.3904/kjm.2015.88.4.424.

A Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Patient with Crohn's Disease

• Jang SH
• Kim JH
• Lee JW
• Lee JY
• Cho YY
• Choi WM
• Jung HC

• KMID: 2269127
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3904/kjm.2015.88.4.424

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) without underlying chronic hepatitis or liver cirrhosis are extremely rare. Previously reported cases occurred in patients who had developed CD at a young age and had been treated with immunosuppressive agents long-term. We herein report the first case of HCC in a 34-year-old patient with CD in Korea. The patient was treated with azathioprine for 14 years and had undergone repeated surgeries for CD. During the follow-up period, the patient was hospitalized for colon perforation and pericolic abscess formation. Computed tomography showed a liver mass, and HCC was diagnosed based on liver biopsy. The patient underwent right hemicolectomy for colon perforation and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization followed by radiofrequency ablation for the HCC. The present case is similar to previously reported cases with the exception of the liver pathology findings, which exhibited neither primary sclerosing cholangitis nor focal hepatic glycogenolysis.

Keyword

Hepatocellular carcinoma; Crohn disease; Azathioprine; Infliximab

MeSH Terms

Abscess
Adult
Azathioprine
Biopsy
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*
Catheter Ablation
Cholangitis, Sclerosing
Colon
Crohn Disease*
Follow-Up Studies
Glycogenolysis
Hepatitis, Chronic
Humans
Immunosuppressive Agents
Korea
Liver
Liver Cirrhosis
Pathology
Infliximab
Azathioprine
Immunosuppressive Agents