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Liver transplantation for cryptogenic liver failure caused by diffuse hepatic angiosarcoma: case report
Yoshihiro Yoshida1, Tomoharu Yoshizumi2, Huanlin Wang1
1Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.
Surgical Case Reports
|February 3, 2017
Summary
Primary hepatic angiosarcoma, a rare liver cancer, is difficult to diagnose radiologically and has a poor prognosis. Early detection via pre-transplant liver biopsy may improve outcomes for patients with cryptogenic liver failure.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Primary hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare malignancy of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells.
- It constitutes about 1.8% of primary liver cancers.
- Radiological diagnosis is challenging, and prognosis is poor due to high recurrence and metastasis rates post-liver resection or transplantation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report two cases of primary hepatic angiosarcoma diagnosed post-liver transplantation.
- To highlight diagnostic challenges and outcomes associated with this rare liver cancer.
Main Methods:
- Histopathological examination of explanted livers after liver transplantation (LT).
- Case report detailing two patients undergoing living donor and deceased donor LT.
- Pre-operative imaging tests were used for assessment.
Main Results:
- Both patients were diagnosed with primary hepatic angiosarcoma via explanted liver pathology.
- Pre-operative imaging did not reveal evidence of malignancy in either case.
- Primary hepatic angiosarcoma demonstrates a high relapse rate following LT.
Conclusions:
- Pre-transplant liver biopsy may be crucial for differentiating diffuse hepatic angiosarcoma from other causes of liver failure.
- Early diagnostic interventions are critical for improving patient outcomes.
