Manejo terapêutico do hepatocarcinoma fibrolamelar

• Main Authors: Marlus Moreira, João Eduardo Leal Nicoluzzi, Pedro Ernesto Caron
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões
• Series: Revista do Colégio Brasileiro de Cirurgiões
• Subjects: Liver diseases; Carcinoma, hepatocellular; Liver Neoplasms; Carcinoma
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-69912005000200012&lng=en&tlng=en

Fibrolamellar carcinoma of the liver is a distinct variant of hepatocellular carcinoma characterized by the lack of association with cirrhosis or other underlying liver diseases, as hepatitis B virus. The serum alpha-fetoprotein level is often not elevated, occuring typically in young patients. Distinction from conventional hepatocellular carcinoma is of clinical significance, because prognosis is far better due to higher ressecability and more indolent growth. We describe a case of a 26-year-old woman free of other liver diseases presenting with a large abdominal palpable mass. After ressection by vascular exclusion technique, the pathologic examination revealed fibrolamellar carcinoma. The former should not be confused with the hepatocellular carcinoma, since it is related with a more favorable prognosis.