Letters To The Editor Open Access
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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2008; 14(19): 3105-3105
Published online May 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.3105
Perivascular epithelioid cell tumour of the liver
Unne Stenram, Department of Pathology, Lund University, Lund SE-22185, Sweden
Author contribution: Stenram U contributed all to this paper.
Correspondence to: Unne Stenram, Department of Pathology, University Hospital, Lund SE-22185, Sweden. unne.stenram@med.lu.se
Telephone: +46-46-173407
Fax: +46-46-143307
Received: October 8, 2007
Revised: April 5, 2008
Published online: May 21, 2008

Abstract

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumour is not uncommon in the liver but seldom malignant.

Key Words: Perivascular epithelioid cell tumour, Liver

TO THE EDITOR

I read with great interest the work by Fang, Zhou, Jin and Hu, dealing with perivascular epithelioid cell tumour (angiomyolipoma) of the liver[1]. It is right that, in mesenchymal tissues, the tumour is common in the uterus. The most frequent localization generally is, however, in the kidney[23]. In the liver, 110 cases had been described by 1999[3].

It is true that the malignant cases are much fewer.

Our interest in this entity was arisen, when we scrutinized a hepatic tumour, described from our department as an oncocytic adenoma[4]. However, the tumour later turned out to be positive for the melanocytic marker HMB-45 and is in fact a perivascular epithelioid cell tumour. The journal refused to publish the revised diagnosis!

Footnotes

Peer reviewer: David Adams, Professor, Liver Research Laboratories, Institute for Biomedical Research, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom

References
1.  Fang SH, Zhou LN, Jin M, Hu JB. Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor of the liver: a report of two cases and review of the literature. World J Gastroenterol. 2007;13:5537-5539.  [PubMed]  [DOI]  [Cited in This Article: ]
2.  Hornick JL, Fletcher CD. PEComa: what do we know so far? Histopathology. 2006;48:75-82.  [PubMed]  [DOI]  [Cited in This Article: ]
3.  Tryggvason G, Blondal S, Goldin R, Albrechtsen J, Bjornsson J, Jonasson J. Epithelioid angiomyolipoma of the liver: case report and review of the literature. APMIS. 2004;112:612-616.  [PubMed]  [DOI]  [Cited in This Article: ]
4.  el Hag IA, Ekberg H, Tranberg KG, Lundstedt C, Johansson S, Sassner P, Hagerstrand I. Oncocytic liver tumours and arterial dilatation. Case report. Eur J Surg. 1994;160:55-59.  [PubMed]  [DOI]  [Cited in This Article: ]