An autopsy case of multilocular cystic hepatocellular carcinoma without liver cirrhosis

Although simple cysts, cystadenoma and cystadenocarcinoma of the liver have been well documented as hepatic cystic diseases, cystic hepatocellular carcinoma is a curious entity. Only 3 cases have been reported in the English literature. A 70-year-old man was admitted to Nagoya University Hospital for multiple liver tumors and a thrombus in the main trunk of the portal vein. A part of the tumors contained cystic components, and were diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma by needle biopsy. After giving informed consent, the patient was treated with several systemic chemotherapy using doxorubicin, fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, cisplatin and oral anticancer agent UFT, a combination of uracil and tegafur, for almost 2 years. During this time, the tumors enlarged gradually, and also underwent cyst formation, the patients then died of biliary sepsis. Autopsy confirmed the diagnosis of multilocular cystic hepatocellular carcinoma without liver cirrhosis.