Hepatocellular carcinoma, syncytial giant cell: a novel variant in children: a case report

Atra, A.; Al-Asiri, R.; Wali, S.; Al-Husseini, H.; Al-Bassas, A; Zimmermann, A.

doi:10.1016/j.anndiagpath.2005.12.005

« Previous Next »Annals of Diagnostic Pathology
Volume 11, Issue 1 , Pages 61-63, February 2007

Hepatocellular carcinoma, syncytial giant cell: a novel variant in children: a case report

A. Atra, MD, MRCPath
- Department of Oncology, King Abdulaziz Medical City–Jeddah, PO Box 9515, Jeddah 21423, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Corresponding author. Fax: +966 699 2 6247444.
R. Al-Asiri, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
S. Wali, MD
- Department of Pediatrics, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
H. Al-Husseini, MD
- Department of Histopathology, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
A Al-Bassas, MD
- Department of Surgery, Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
A. Zimmermann, MD
- Institute of Pathology of the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (Coordinator of the SIOPEL-3 Liver Tumor Studies)

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second most common primary malignant hepatic tumor in children. It often develops in patients with underlying liver disease. We report the clinicopathologic features of an unusual HCC occurring in an infant who presented with features of Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. The tumor is characterized by epithelial syncytial giant cells. Giant cell carcinoma of the liver has been previously reported, but the cells were osteoclast-like (ie, mesenchymal type) and not epithelial type as it is in this patient. We propose to use the term HCC, syncytial giant cell type, to denote this apparently novel lesion.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, Syncytial giant hepatocytes