Hepatoblastoma in adult age. A case report and literature review

Hepatoblastoma (HB) rarely occurs in adults. We report herein the unusual case of a 19-year-old, otherwise healthy woman with no history of liver disease who presented with upper abdominal pain and hepatomegaly. Tests for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) were negative, and AFP was normal. There was no evidence of liver cirrhosis. A well-demarcated solid mass of 14 cm in diameter, which was lobulated and partly necrotic, was detected in the liver by computed tomography (CT). At surgical exploration a large liver mass was detected occupying the entire right lobe. A right trisegmentectomy was performed with tumor grossly resected with microscopic residual disease (i.e positive margins). On microscopic examination the tumor was composed mainly of two components which were intermingled: epithelial and mesenchymal elements. The epithelial component was formed of small embryonal cells, grouped into nodules, scattered in cellular mesenchymal tissue. The diagnosis was mixed hepatoblastoma. The patient received 4 cycles of systemic chemotherapy with cisplatinum and adriamycin. Post-chemotherapy evaluation revealed recurrence of the hepatoblastoma in the remaining liver. She died 6 months later.