Trabecular angiomyolipoma mimicking hepatic cell carcinoma

Hepatic angiomyolipomas are rare tumors, especially in comparison with those occurring in the kidney. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of their existence, especially when occurring in the liver, where they might have different subtypes. Not infrequently they are composed of rather irregular cells with epithelioid appearance. In these cases hepatocellular carcinoma or the possibility of other malignant tumors has to be ruled out, with the aid of numerous immunohistochemical reactions. The authors present a case of a female patient, whose liver lesion was first diagnosed on cytological examination as a hepatocellular carcinoma. Based on the preoperative cytological diagnosis, a large liver lobe resection was performed. Histological examination found an angiomyolipoma of the above-mentioned type, and the final diagnosis was ascertained with the aid of vimentin, smooth muscle actin (SMA), and HMB-45.