Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma presented with massive pulmonary embolism

A 30-year-old HBsAg-positive woman was admitted to the hospital because of 6 days of progressive shortness of breath. She was in severe respiratory distress with circulatory collapse. She had an enlarged liver but no stigmata of chronic liver disease or signs of cirrhosis. She had rapidly developed respiratory arrest and was transferred to intensive care unit. Heart ultrasonography and Doppler scan showed right heart straining and high pulmonary artery pressure. Despite cardiovascular and respiratory support she died a few hours after admission. Autopsy revealed combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma infiltrating the entire liver, metastatic invasion of lung blood vessels and absence of right ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma, a variant of hepatocellular carcinoma, is roughly 2-3% and the presenting symptoms are abdominal pain, weight loss, jaundice, fever or decompensation of liver disease. Associated HBsAg positivity and cirrhosis are reported in 20-30% and 60% of patients, respectively. Metastases to lungs are relatively frequent but this is the first report of hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma presented with acute respiratory distress due to massive pulmonary embolism.