[Liver cell carcinoma with extensive proliferation of sarcoma-like neoplastic cells--an autopsy case]

A 73-year-old male was admitted with suspected Grawitz tumor. Aspiration cytology from the tumor was diagnosed as Class V with suspected sarcoma. He died 17 days after admission. Autopsy revealed this to be a massive hepatic tumor occupying over half of the right lobe. It showed protrusion into the right retroperitoneum. Histology of the tumor evidenced widespread proliferation of sarcoma-like neoplastic cells besides a minute area of definite liver cell carcinoma in the center of the tumor mass. Definite transitional features between liver cell carcinoma and a sarcomatous pattern, the latter involving a major part of this tumor, were noted. Thus, we diagnosed this tumor to be liver cell carcinoma with a sarcoma-like histological pattern. The possibility of collision tumor or carcinosarcoma could be ruled out.