Giant hepatic carcinoid: a rare tumor with a favorable prognosis

Primary hepatic carcinoids are rare tumors that are often diagnosed at a locally advanced stage. Their primary nature can only be ascertained after thorough investigations and long-term follow-up to exclude another primary origin. As with secondary neuroendocrine liver tumors, surgical resection remains the mainstay of therapy. Despite their large size and often central location liver resection is often feasible, offering long-term survival and cure to most patients. In selected patients liver transplantation appears to be a good indication for tumors not amenable to liver resection. An aggressive surgical attitude is therefore warranted. We report a large and unusually fast-growing liver carcinoid that appeared only marginally resectable in a patient who remains free of disease four years after surgery.