Korean J Gastroenterol.  2006 May;47(5):389-393.

A Case of Hepatoid Carcinoma of the Pancreas

• Oh HJ
• Cheung DY
• Kim TH
• Kim SS
• Kim MS
• Kim JI
• Park SH
• Han JY
• Han NI
• Kim JK
• Lee YS
• Kim EK
• Jung ES

Abstract

Hepatoid carcinoma is a primary extrahepatic neoplasm exhibiting features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in terms of morphology, immunohistochemistry, and behavior. In many cases, tumor cytoplasm is positive for alpha- fetoprotein (alpha-FP) with elevated serum alpha-FP level. Because not all hepatoid carcinomas are associated with alpha- FP overproduction, diagnosis should be made essentially by histological features of the tumor. We present a case of hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas in a 21-year-old male patient. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an inhomogeneously enhanced pancreatic head mass. Serum alpha-FP level was markedly elevated. He underwent pylorus-preserving Whipple's operation. The tumor showed hepatoid and neuroendocrine components simultaneously. The histopathological diagnosis was hepatoid carcinoma associated with neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas. Seven months after the surgery, the patient is healthy without evidence of recurrence. To date, only 7 cases of hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas have been reported in the literature, and this is the first case report in Korea.

Keyword

Hepatoid carcinoma; Pancreas

MeSH Terms

Adult
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology
Humans
Male
Pancreatic Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology