A Case of Hepatoid Adenocarcinoma of the Gallbladder

Abstract

An 85-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a gallbladder tumor. Laboratory studies showed elevated serum levels of AFP 1960 ng/ml and CEA 7.5 ng/ml. Although a histological diagnosis was not obtained, a diagnosis of gallbladder cancer, cT2N0M0 cStage II, was made based on abdominal ultrasonography, CT, and MRI, and cholecystectomy including the gallbladder bed was performed. Histologically, the tumor had a mixture of components of moderately differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma and components similar to hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder was diagnosed. After surgery, the serum AFP and CEA concentrations returned to normal levels. The patient has been doing well without recurrence at 4 months. Hepatoid adenocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer with two characteristics, hepatocellular carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Hepatoid adenocarcinoma has been reported in various organs, such as the stomach, colon, lung, pancreas, and uterus. However, there have been few examples in the gallbladder. Thus, this case is reported along with a review of the literature.