Abstract
A 67-year-old woman had a 5 cm hepatic tumor of the lateral hepatic segment, associated with a peripheral lesion effect, based on abdominal contrast-enhanced CT, which was conducted when a diagnosis of dermatomyositis was made. The patient was negative for HBV as well as HCV, and the levels of AFP and PIVKA-2 were within the normal range. PET scan did not reveal extrahepatic primary lesions. Laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed for diagnosis and treatment. HE staining revealed the proliferation of small tumor cells with a high nucleoplasmic ratio and nuclear grade. As she was positive for CD56 and synaptophysin based on immunostaining, a diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the liver was made. Two courses of CDDP and VP-16 were given postoperatively. However, she had recurrence of intra-abdominal lymph nodes 10 months postoperatively, and recurrence in the right adrenal gland 12 months postoperatively. She has survived for 16 months postoperatively without treatment. Small cell carcinoma of the liver is an extremely rare disease, and there is no consensus on the prognosis of and treatment methods for the disease.
