Primary sarcoma of the liver and transplantation: a case study and literature review

Selection of treatment for hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: a single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE) is a rare angiogenic tumor with no recognized effective treatment. Treatment options used worldwide include liver transplantation (LT), liver resection (LR), radiofrequency ablation (RFA), chemotherapy, and observation. The aim of this study was to describe the efficacy of different treatment options used for HEHE at our center.

METHODS

The medical charts of 12 patients with HEHE (9 women and 3 men) who were diagnosed and treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, China, between January 2011 and December 2017 were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

The patients were diagnosed by postoperative histopathology or fine needle aspiration biopsy. Two patients with diffuse lesions received LT and were alive without recurrence at the last follow-up. Three patients received LR as the initial treatment, and all of them developed recurrence during the follow-up period. One patient received RFA and remained free of disease, while the remaining six patients opted for simple observation rather than treatment. One of the patients who received LR passed away because of tumor recurrence within 32 months after surgery; the other patients showed no significant disease activity after treatments for their recurrent lesions. As of April 2018, the mean follow-up duration was 39.6 ± 20.1 months (15-82 months).

CONCLUSIONS

There are multiple strategies for HEHE. Considering its indolent course, initial observation for assessment of the lesion behavior may aid in the selection of appropriate treatment. Surgery or LT is suitable for patients with disease progression during the observation period. However, our sample size was small, and further studies are required to gather more information that can aid in optimal treatment selection.

A pooled analysis of treatment and prognosis of hepatic angiosarcoma in adults

BACKGROUND

Hepatic angiosarcoma is a rare malignant vascular tumor presenting unique treatment challenges. The aim of the present study was to determine the treatment and prognosis of this entity.

DATA SOURCES

A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase and Chinese Biomedical Literature database, to identify articles published from January 1980 to July 2017. Search terms were "hepatic angiosarcoma" and "liver angiosarcoma". Additional articles were retrieved through manual search of bibliographies of the relevant articles. Pooled individual data concerning the prognosis following various therapeutic modalities were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 75 articles involving 186 patients were eligible for inclusion. The median overall survival (OS) was 8 months, with 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates of 36.6%, 22.3%, and 12.0%, respectively. The median OS after partial hepatectomy (n = 86), chemotherapy (n = 36), liver transplantation (n = 17), and supportive care (n = 46) were 15, 10, 5 and 1.3 months, respectively. Small tumor size (<10 cm) was the only significant favorable factor for OS after partial hepatectomy (P = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the dismal prognosis, partial hepatectomy could prolong the survival of hepatic angiosarcoma patients, particularly those with tumors <10 cm. Chemotherapy could be an option for unresectable disease. Liver transplantation is not a recommendable option for the management of this malignancy.

Primary hepatic angiosarcoma and liver transplantation: Radiological, surgical, histological findings and clinical outcome

Angiosarcoma is a rare type of soft tissue sarcoma that accounts for less than 1% of all sarcomas and only 2% of all primary hepatic tumours. Thorotrast, arsenic, and vinyl chloride monomer are frequently listed as occupational exposure risks. The estimated latency is long (10-40 years) in occupational cases and very long (60 years or more) in non-occupational cases. The symptoms and CT-scan appearance of hepatic angiosarcoma (HAS) are non-specific. We present a case of a 65-year-old Caucasian male with history of cryptogenic cirrhosis, low alpha-foetoprotein levels and a single, 4-cm nodule of potential atypical hepatocellular carcinoma (no washout at MRI and CT-scan) in segment VIII. Laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation (a biopsy of the neoplastic lesion was technically impossible) was performed, followed by liver transplantation (LT) 6 months later. High-grade multifocal HAS was found in the explanted liver, with extensive involvement of the venous portal structures. No complications were observed during the postoperative course, and initial immunosuppression included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and corticosteroids. Because of the histological findings, tacrolimus was switched to everolimus as the main immunosuppressive drug one month after LT. Despite this conversion, the patient developed bone metastases 3 months after LT and peritoneal carcinosis one month later. This case report suggests that everolimus conversion does not inhibit the development of tumour metastases. Consequently, HAS remains an absolute contraindication to LT because of the poor outcome. If LT has been performed for incidental HAS, new molecular therapies (e.g. vascular endothelial growth factor antagonists) should be considered immediately after LT to improve the outcome.