Curative resection of multiple primary neuroendocrine tumors enabled by preoperative imaging: a case report

Neuroendocrine tumors (NENs) originate from neuroendocrine cells and predominantly occur in the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and pancreas. Although the liver is commonly involved in NEN metastasis, primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors (PHNETs) are rare. Herein, we report a case of a 52-year-old female who presented with slowly enlarging, cystic, multiple PHNETs. Two tumors in segments 6 (S6) and S7 were noted on computed tomography (CT), and an additional S7/8 tumor was found on magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, CT during hepatic arteriography (CTHA) revealed a small tumor in S8. No other primary tumors were detected in other organs. Posterior segmentectomy and S8 partial resection were performed for the tumors. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was a grade 2 neuroendocrine tumor. The patient showed no recurrence of tumor 3 years postoperatively. In this study, CTHA was more effective than other examinations in detecting small tumors, which could be resected without any residual tumors.