A Case of Hepatic Angiosarcoma Difficult to Differentiate from Polycystic Liver Disease

Abstract

A 61 year-old woman with abdominal fullness and jaundice due to polycystic liver disease was transferred to our hospital for liver transplantation. Blood examination was compatible with DIC, the liver was severely enlarged, and the cyst component was irregular due to bleeding. The diagnosis by radiology was compatible with liver cysts. After 14 days, she died and a liver cyst was diagnosed as angiosarcoma by autopsy. The diagnosis indicated contraindication of transplantation. Polycystic liver is benign disease and hepatic angiosarcoma is malignant disease without standard therapy. Although it is not difficult to differentiate polycystic liver disease from angiosarcoma, biopsy is needed to decide the diagnosis when the clinical course is unusual. Definite diagnosis is needed because the therapies are different between polycystic liver disease and hepatic angiosarcoma. If a patient's general condition is not satisfactory, radiological and clinical approaches are the only way to confirm the diagnosis.