Search Article Keyword:  

 

 

PubMed Submission Abstarct PDF   Click Count: 1471 DownLoad Count: 413 

 

 

ISSN 1007-9327 CN 14-1219/R  World J Gastroenterol  2006 January 28;12(4):665-667

 

Coexistence of hepatocellular carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report

 

Radoslaw Jaworski, Tomasz Jastrzebski, Maciej Swierblewski, Kamil Drucis, Grazyna Kobierska-Gulida

 

 


 


 

Radoslaw Jaworski, Tomasz Jastrzebski, Maciej Swierblewski, Kamil Drucis, Department of Surgical Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland

Grazyna Kobierska-Gulida, Department of Pathology, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland

Correspondence to: Kamil Drucis, Klinika Chirurgii Onkologicznej Akademii Medycznej w Gdansku, Debinki 7, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland. kamil@tsi.pl

Telephone: +4858-349-2440    Fax: +4858-301-7114

Received: 2005-05-26    Accepted: 2005-06-18

  

Abstract

Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are rare mesenchymal tumors originating from the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. Their coexistence with other tumors originating from other germ layers is unique. We have reported a case of a 63-year-old GIST patient presenting as an epigastric mass associated with hepatic tumor. Histologically, the mesenteric tumor was composed of spindle cells showing both neural and smooth muscle differentiation. Immunohistochemical examination showed positive staining for CD117, vimentin, S-100, and SMA, while CD34 antigen was negative. The hepatic tumor was diagnosed as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of GIST and HCC coexistence. The rarity of the case, however, should not lead to ignoring such a possibility in differential diagnosis.

 

© 2006 The WJG Press. All rights  reserved.

 

Key words: Malignant GIST; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Coexistence of GIST and HCC

 

Jaworski R, Jastrzebski T, Swierblewski M, Drucis K, Kobierska-Gulida G. Coexistence of hepatocellular carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumor: A case report. World J Gastroenterol 2006; 12(4): 665-667

 

 http://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/12/665.asp

 

INTRODUCTION

Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are rare mesenchymal tumors originating from the wall of the gastrointestinal tract[1,2]. Majority of GIST are positive for CD117 and vimentin in immunohistochemical staining[3-5]. Coexistence of malignant GIST and other malignancies have been reported in some unique cases[6-10]. Such cases always require differential diagnosis for metastatic GIST[3,4]. We have described a case of a 63-year-old male patient who was admitted to our clinic with liver tumor mass and mesenteric tumor. Preoperative biopsy performed under computed tomography (CT) scanning showed a mesenteric tumor as GIST, which was confirmed by postoperative histopathology. The liver tumor was verified as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This case presents a coexistence of two independent tumors. To our knowledge, the coincidence of GIST and HCC has not been reported in the literature.

 

CASE REPORT

A 63-year-old male patient with a palpable epigastric mass was admitted to the Department of Surgical Oncology, Medical University of Gdansk. His medical history was significant for insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and ischemic heart disease. No other clinical symptoms were present. The morphology, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), liver enzymes and other blood tests were normal.

    CT of the patient’s abdomen showed an 80 mm×50 mm pathological mass in the right side of abdomen and a 65 mm×53 mm solid mass within the liver (Figures 1A and C). Abdominal sonography showed a 80-mm mass in diameter in the mesentery at the right side of the abdomen with mediocre flow in Doppler option and a 60-mm solid mass in diameter in the left lobe of the liver with low flow in Doppler option (Figures 1B and D). Laparotomy revealed a mesenteric tumor on the intestinal wall and a hepatic tumor of the same size as in ultrasonographic description (Figures 2A and B). No other malignant pathologies in the abdomen were found. Left hemihepatectomy and resection of mesenteric tumor with side-to-side jejunojejunostomy were performed.

 

Figure 1 Computed tomography and sonography of mesenteric mass (A and B) and liver tumor (C and D).

 

Figure 2 Mesenteric (A) and hepatic (B) tumors (intraoperative view).

 

    Histologically, the liver tumor was described as HCC. The mesenteric tumor 70 mm×80 mm×60 mm in size was composed of spindle cells showing both neural and smooth muscle differentiation. Resection margins were histologically negative. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for CD117, vimentin, SMA, S-100, and negative for CD34. Mitotic index was 10/50 HPF (10 pathological mitoses per 50 high-power field). The final pathological diagnosis of this tumor was gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). The patient was discharged 9 d after tumor resection without surgical complications. No adjuvant therapy was prescribed, because the liver tumor was not metastasized from GIST. The patient after 18 mo of follow-up showed no signs of recurrent disease.

 

DISCUSSION

GIST are rare tumors that may arise from anywhere in the tubular gastrointestinal tract and give rise to metastases predominantly in the liver (more than 60% of metastases) or in the peritoneum[1,2,4,11,12]. In the present case, the solid mass in the liver was metastasized from the GIST. The histopathology showed that the tumor was a HCC. Coexistence of GIST and other primary tumors: renal carcinoma, bilateral pheochromocytoma, gastric cancer, and leiomyoma of the anorectum has been reported[6-10].

    GIST may coexist also with inflammatory pseudotumors of the liver. These lesions are benign and characterized by proliferating fibrovascular tissue with inflammatory cells. They are associated with fever, pain and a mass effect. These clinical symptoms were not observed in our patient. The inflammatory pseudotumors are commonly mistaken for malignant tumors[13].

    The described case is unique and should draw physicians’ attention to the possibility of independent tumor coexistence when GIST occurs. In patient with two tumors in the abdomen, GIST and HCC coexistence must be excluded. This is especially important in making a decision of adjuvant therapy. The current GIST treatment guidelines established by European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) for adjuvant therapy with imanitib can be applied in non-operable and/or metastatic tumors. Patients with resectable tumors without metastases should not receive adjuvant therapy. The radiotherapy value as an adjuvant treatment method for GIST is not documented in the literature[5].

    The presence of hepatic tumor in patients with GIST should not judge the metastatic nature of liver tumors, though in the literature it is the most common cause of the coexisting liver tumor. Although two independent tumors in patients with GIST are unique, we must not exclude such a possibility and only careful histopathological examination gives us a correct diagnosis.

 

REFERENCES

1     Tran T, Davila JA, El-Serag HB. The epidemiology of malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumors: an analysis of 1,458
       cases from 1992 to 2000. Am J Gastroenterol 2005; 100: 162-168

2     Connolly EM, Gaffney E, Reynolds JV. Gastrointestinal stromal tumours. Br J Surg 2003; 90: 1178-1186

3     Noguchi T, Sato T, Takeno S, Uchida Y, Kashima K, Yokoyama S, Muller W. Biological analysis of gastrointestinal stromal

       tumors. Oncol Rep 2002; 9: 1277-1282

4     Miettinen M, Sobin LH, Sarlomo-Rikala M. Immunohistochemical spectrum of GISTs at different sites and their
       differential diagnosis with a reference to CD117 (KIT). Mod Pathol 2000; 13: 1134-1142

5     Blay JY, Bonvalot S, Casali P, Choi H, Debiec-Richter M, Dei Tos AP, Emile JF, Gronchi A, Hogendoorn PC, Joensuu H, Le
       Cesne A, McClure J, Maurel J, Nupponen N, Ray-Coquard I, Reichardt P, Sciot R, Stroobants S, van Glabbeke M, van
       Oosterom A, Demetri GD. Consensus meeting for the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Report of the GIST

       Consensus Conference of 20-21 March 2004, under the auspices of ESMO. Ann Oncol 2005; 16: 566-578

6     Antonini C, Forgiarini O, Chiara A, Briani G, Belmonte P, Zucconelli R, Fiaccavento G, Sacchi G. Stromal tumor of the

       ileum (GIST) at the same time as a renal carcinoma. Description of a case and review of the literature. Pathologica

       1998; 90: 160-164

7     Fraggetta F. On the latest case of renal carcinoma associated with GIST. Pathologica 1999; 91: 62-63

8     Rizzo S, Bonomo S, Moser A, Bottura D, Castellini C, Mazzola F, Lauro E, Vicenzi L, Betresini B, Angeli G, Brazzarola P,
       D'Azzo G, Rosa G. Bilateral pheochromocytoma associated with duodeno-jejunal GIST in patient with von Recklinghausen
       disease: report of a clinical case. Chir Ital 2001; 53: 243-246

9     Liu SW, Chen GH, Hsieh PP. Collision tumor of the stomach: a case report of mixed gastrointestinal stromal tumor and
       adenocarcinoma. J Clin Gastroenterol 2002; 35: 332-334

10    Huilgol RL, Young CJ, Solomon MJ. The gist of it: Case reports of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour and a leiomyoma of
       the anorectum. ANZ J Surg 2003; 73: 167-169

11    Joensuu H, Kindblom LG. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors--a review. Acta Orthop Scand Suppl 2004; 75: 62-71

12    DeMatteo RP, Lewis JJ, Leung D, Mudan SS, Woodruff JM, Brennan MF. Two hundred gastrointestinal stromal tumors:

       recurrence patterns and prognostic factors for survival. Ann Surg 2000; 231: 51-58

13    Lo OS, Poon RT, Lam CM, Fan ST. Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver in association with a gastrointestinal stromal
       tumor: a case report. World J Gastroenterol 2004; 10: 1841-1843

 

                                                                          S- Editor  Wang XL and Guo SY    L- Editor  Elsevier HK    E- Editor  Bi L


 

 

Reviews Add
more>>

 


Related Articles:
The prognostic molecular markers in hepatocellular carcinoma
Radiofrequence ablation of liver cancers
P53 immunohistochemical scoring: an independent prognostic marker for patients after hepatocellular carcinoma resection
Antitumor activities of human autologous cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells against hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo
The promoting molecular mechanism of alpha-fetoprotein on the growth of human hepatoma Bel7402 cell line
more>>