Abstract
The patient was a 71-year-old woman who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for cholecystolithiasis and a gallbladder polyp in 2006. On that occasion, there were hepatic tumors 1cm in diameter in S2 and S5 of the liver, which had been followed at another hospital. Since the tumor suddenly enlarged to 5.2 × 4.2cm in diameter and a new hepatic tumor was detected, the patient was referred to the hospital in September 2007. These tumors which were located in S3, S5, and S8 were not enhanced in arterial, portal and delayed phase by CT scan. Gastrointestinal endoscopy, colonoscopy and positoron emission tomography (PET) did not reveal other malignancies. Tumor markers such as α-fetoprotein (AFP), protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and CA19-9 were negative. As a result of liver biopsy, immunohistochemical staining of chromogranin A was positive and that of synaptophysin was slightly positive. Therefore, these liver tumors were diagnosed as primary hepatic carcinoid tumor. Left lobectomy and partial hepatic resections of S5 and S8 were performed. She has been followed in the clinic, without evidences of recurrence.
It has been reported that 74% of all primary carcinoid tumors originate from the gastrointestinal tract. Primary hepatic carcinoid tumor is rare, and so we report this case which appears to be of primary hepatic carcinoid tumor.
