Abstract
A 68-year-old man complaining of right hypochondralgia was admitted to our hospital because abdominal ultrasonography detected a huge hepatic tumor. Serum concentrations of CEA, CA19-9, and CYFRA21-1 markedly elevated, although AFP and PIVKA II were within a normal range. Computed tomography showed an 8cm low-density area with peripheral enhancement. There were no abnormalities in examinations of the gastrointestinal tract. The tumor was diagnosed as an intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and an extended anterior segmemtectomy was performed.
Pathologically, the resected tumor was diagnosed as primary adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) of the liver. Although the early postoperative course was uneventful, tumor recurrence occurred in the residual liver and the patient died of cancer 6 months after the operation.
In general, patients with ASC have a poor prognosis because ASC is already in an advanced stage when detected. We have to observe closely patients with chronic hepatitis C by keeping intrahepatic biliary cancers including ASC in mind, because some patients with ASC of the liver are associated with hepatitis C virus infection. We consider that CYFRA21-1 might be useful tumor marker for ASC.
