A Case of Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumor with Multiple Intrahepatic Metastases Aiding Long-term Survival

Abstract

A 55-year-old woman had been diagnosed with a hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET) based on a liver biopsy at the age of 45 years. We could not detect the other tumor's origin. We considered it to be a liver metastasis of the NET, because primary hepatic NET is rare and computed tomography (CT) showed multiple lesions in both lobes of the liver. She did not receive any treatments. Ten years later, she was admitted to our hospital with right hypochondrial pain. CT showed that these tumors had enlarged ; in particular, a solid cystic tumor in the right lobe of the liver measured 10 cm in diameter. Right-hemi-hepatectomy and partial hepatic resection of S4 were performed. Pre- and postoperative examinations showed no other tumor origins, so we diagnosed her with a primary hepatic NET. Primary hepatic NETs are rare and we could observe the long-term, gradual tumor growth over 10 years.