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Sudden unexpected death in infancy associated with an epithelial-type hepatoblastoma in a 6-month-old infant

Jeremy Pryce1, Liina Kiho, Irene Scheimberg

  • 1Department of Cellular Pathology, The Royal London Hospital, Barts and The London NHS Trust, Pathology and Pharmacy Building, 80 Newark Street, London E1 2ES, UK.

Pediatric and Developmental Pathology : the Official Journal of the Society for Pediatric Pathology and the Paediatric Pathology Society
|February 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Sudden infant death from undiagnosed cancer is rare. This case highlights a 6-month-old infant who died unexpectedly, with autopsy revealing hepatoblastoma, a rare childhood liver cancer.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Infant Pathology

Background:

  • Sudden unexpected death in infancy and childhood due to undiagnosed neoplasia is rare.
  • Malignant neoplasms are uncommon in infants, with an incidence rate of 118.3 per million.
  • Primary malignant liver tumors are rare, with hepatoblastoma being the most common type in childhood.

Observation:

  • Hepatoblastoma accounts for only 3.1% of childhood cancers in infants under 12 months.
  • This report details the first case of sudden death in an apparently healthy 6-month-old infant.
  • Autopsy revealed an epithelial type hepatoblastoma with mixed fetal and embryonal patterns.

Findings:

  • The infant's death was attributed to an undiagnosed hepatoblastoma.
  • The tumor exhibited mixed fetal and embryonal patterns, a specific subtype of epithelial hepatoblastoma.
  • This case underscores the potential for rare presentations of childhood cancers.

Implications:

  • Highlights the importance of considering rare malignancies in the differential diagnosis of sudden infant death.
  • Emphasizes the need for thorough pathological examination in unexplained infant deaths.
  • Contributes to understanding the spectrum of hepatoblastoma presentation in early infancy.

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