Rare case of adult undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma of the liver treated with liver transplantation: excellent long-term survival. Case Reports Hepatol. 2012;2012:519741. [PMID: 25374706 PMCID: PMC4208439 DOI: 10.1155/2012/519741]

Living Donor Liver Transplantation for Adult Hepatic Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma: A Case Report

Introduction

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is an aggressive tumor. There is no established treatment, and it is an uncommon tumor in adults. Treatment usually involves a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and occasionally liver transplantation (LT). The role of LT in patients with irresectable UESL merits exploration.

Case Description

A 20-year-old boy with a large palpable abdominal mass, shortness of breath, and weight loss presented to our clinic. His computed tomography scan showed showed a large cystic lesion measuring 11.5 × 22.7 × 23 cm, predominantly involving the left lobe and right anterior sector, with a biopsy consistent with UESL. The tumor was abutting to the right hepatic vein, with bland main portal vein thrombosis. Due to an irresectable tumor and deteriorating clinical condition, living donor LT was performed. The patient remains in good health at 16 months of follow-up.

Practical Implication

In carefully selected patients with UESL, when other options are not feasible, LT might prolong survival and improve quality of life.

Long-term survival of an adult patient with undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver with multidisciplinary treatment: a case report and literature review

Background

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) primarily occurs in children; it is rarely seen in adults and appears to have a poor prognosis. However, in recent years, some cases indicated that long-term survival was possible due to a combination of multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and liver transplantation.

Case presentation

A 33-year-old female patient presented with a complaint of epigastric pain, for which she underwent a medical examination. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging showed a cystic tumor in the right hepatic lobe, approximately 10 cm in size. During observation, the abdominal pain worsened, and a contrast-enhanced CT revealed that the tumor’s peripheral solid components increased in size and volume, suggesting a malignant tumor threatening hepatic rupture. Subsequently, transcatheter arterial embolization of the anterior and posterior segmental branches of the hepatic artery was performed, followed by right trisectionectomy. Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations of the lesion revealed UESL. Two months after the surgery, we initiated sarcoma-directed chemotherapy with doxorubicin because of multiple metastases to the liver. After initiating the chemotherapy, she received another regimen using gemcitabine/docetaxel, eribulin, trabectedin, ifosfamide/mesna, pazopanib, and cisplatin. During the chemotherapy, she underwent palliative surgery twice due to the progressive disease. She lived for 49 months after the initial operation.

Conclusions

Improved long-term survival was achieved in an adult patient with UESL after multidisciplinary therapy, involving a combination of three surgical procedures and several chemotherapies.

Liver transplantation in malignant disease

Liver transplantation for malignant disease has gained increasing attention as part of transplant oncology. Following the implementation of the Milan criteria, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was the first generally accepted indication for transplantation in patients with cancer. Subsequently, more liberal criteria for HCC have been developed, and research on this topic is still ongoing. The evident success of liver transplantation for HCC has led to the attempt to extend its indication to other malignancies. Regarding perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, more and more evidence supports the use of liver transplantation, especially after neoadjuvant therapy. In addition, some data also show a benefit for selected patients with very early stage intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a very rare but nonetheless established indication for liver transplantation in primary liver cancer. In contrast, patients with hepatic angiosarcoma are currently not considered to be optimal candidates. In secondary liver tumors, neuroendocrine cancer liver metastases are an accepted but comparability rare indication for liver transplantation. Recently, some evidence has been published supporting the use of liver transplantation even for colorectal liver metastases. This review summarizes the current evidence for liver transplantation for primary and secondary liver cancer.

Undifferentiated Embryonal Sarcoma of the Liver in Children Versus Adults: A National Cancer Database Analysis

Simple Summary

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is the third most common type of liver malignancy in the pediatric population, following hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. In comparison to children, UESL is an extremely rare malignancy in adults. Although historically treatment was limited to surgical resection and survival was poor, the combination of surgical treatment and chemotherapy recently has led to improved survival. We attempted to examine the characteristics and outcomes of children and adults with UESL in a contemporary U.S. cohort. We showed that children demonstrate favorable survival with multimodal treatment, while adults demonstrate inferior outcomes and future research endeavors should focus on refining currently available treatment modalities for adults with UESL.

Abstract

This study evaluates the clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of children vs. adults with undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL). A retrospective analysis of 82 children (<18 years) and 41 adults (≥18 years) with UESL registered in the National Cancer Database between 2004–2015 was conducted. No between-group differences were observed regarding tumor size, metastasis, surgical treatment, margin status, and radiation. Children received chemotherapy more often than adults (92.7% vs. 65.9%; p < 0.001). Children demonstrated superior overall survival vs. adults (log-rank, p < 0.001) with 5-year rates of 84.4% vs. 48.2%, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression for all patients, adults demonstrated an increased risk of mortality compared to children (p < 0.001), while metastasis was associated with an increased (p = 0.02) and surgical treatment with a decreased (p = 0.001) risk of mortality. In multivariable Cox regression for surgically-treated patients, adulthood (p = 0.004) and margin-positive resection (p = 0.03) were independently associated with an increased risk of mortality. Multimodal treatment including complete surgical resection and chemotherapy results in long-term survival in most children with UESL. However, adults with UESL have poorer long-term survival that may reflect differences in disease biology and an opportunity to further refine currently available treatment schemas.

Liver Transplantation in Locally Unresectable, Undifferentiated Embryonal Cell Sarcoma

Background.

Undifferentiated embryonal cell sarcoma (UESL) of the liver is the third most common malignant liver disease of childhood presenting as a rapidly enlarging intraabdominal mass. This systematic review explores the practicality of liver transplantation as a viable option in the treatment armamentarium for locally advanced undifferentiated embryonal cell sarcoma.

Methods.

A systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline and Embase, from inception of databases to December 31, 2018. Keywords and MeSH headings used were embryonal sarcoma, mesenchymal sarcoma, and liver transplant. Reviews and manuscripts with incomplete data were excluded.

Results.

Twenty-eight patients had orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) as a curative treatment option. The median age at presentation was 8 and 27 years in the pediatric and adult population, respectively, with a similar male to female ratio. A majority of the patients presented with abdominal pain, palpable mass, and a normal alpha-feto-protein. The median tumor size was 15 cm mainly affecting the right lobe (62%) of the liver. Eighty-two percent of the patients underwent primary OLT and 5 patients had salvage OLT. One death (3.6%) was due to initial misdiagnosis and management for hepatoblastoma. Recurrence was noted in 7.1% of the population. The median follow-up was noted to be 28.5 months. The documented survival rate post-liver transplant for UESL was 96%.

Conclusions.

Based on available data and the very positive results therein, liver transplantation is a practical and justifiable use of a scarce resource as a treatment option for locally unresectable, undifferentiated embryonal cell sarcoma. The authors propose (accepting existence of different proposals) neoadjuvant therapy before curative resection, and if not achievable, then liver transplantation followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is an option for suitable candidates. For recurrent tumors after surgical resection, adjuvant therapy with salvage liver transplantation is an option.

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver in adults: Retrospective analysis of a case series and systematic review

Adult undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is an aggressive malignant tumor. As UESL is rare, the literature predominantly includes case reports, with a limited number of small case series. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presentation, treatment modalities and outcomes of this rare tumor. The present study includes a case series of adult UESL and a systematic review. A single-institution case series of adult UESL were retrospectively analyzed, and a systematic review of adult UESL was performed by searching MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, the Google Scholar database and the Cochrane Library. For all identified adult UESL cases, the demographic variables, treatments and survival were analyzed. Three female adult patients with UESL (median age, 21 years) were successfully treated by complete tumor resection, with or without adjuvant chemotherapy, at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital between 2015 and 2018. Of these patients, two are currently alive (follow-up, 9 and 41 months), and one died after pulmonary recurrence 17 months post-diagnosis. The present systematic review identified 108 cases of adult UESL. Among all 111 analyzed cases, the median overall and disease-free survival rates were as follows: 1-year, 72 and 67%; 3-year, 56 and 40%; and 5-year, 47 and 35%, respectively. Treatment strategies combining complete tumor resection and chemotherapy promoted improved overall and disease free survival time compared with radical tumor resection alone. The present analysis included one of the largest case series of UESL in adults, and is the first such study to present survival rates. The results of the present study confirmed that survival was improved by treatment strategies combining complete tumor resection and chemotherapy.

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver with an unusual presentation: case report and review of the literature

Undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare malignant mesenchymal neoplasm, relatively unique to the liver that occurs primarily in children and teenagers. Delay in diagnosis is not uncommon due to lack of a characteristic clinical presentation, serological markers and radiological changes. We report a case of UESL in a 9-year-old girl who presented with right upper quadrant pain and a palpable mass. Laboratory and imaging workup revealed a complex hepatic cyst, increased IgE, transient peripheral eosinophilia and a normal alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Initial empirical treatment with albendazole was implemented for presumed hydatid cyst disease, but the child failed to improve. Subsequent surgical resection resulted in the correct diagnosis of UESL. She received 6 months of chemotherapy and remains well with no evidence of tumor about 12 months after resection. We herein review the typical clinical, radiologic and pathologic features of this rare tumor.