A primitive neuroendocrine liver tumour?

• Main Authors: Monica Cevenini, Elena Guidetti, Eleonora Galassi, Martina Ferrata, Paola Tomassetti, Roberto Corinaldesi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SEEd 2015-10-01
• Series: Clinical Management Issues
• Subjects: Primary hepatic carcinoid; Neuroendocrine tumours; Hepatic carcinoid tumors
• Online Access: https://journals.seedmedicalpublishers.com/index.php/cmi/article/view/491
• ISSN: 1973-4832; 2283-3137

The aim of the present report is to present a possible primitive case of a neuroendocrine tumour (NET) of the liver. During a routine ultrasound examination, a 51-year-old woman was diagnosed with a lesion in the second segment of the liver, suggestive of a metastasis. A well differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma (G2, Ki67 = 4.4%) was identified by liver biopsy, positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin and neuron specific enolase. An additional extensive examination aimed at finding the primitive lesion was unsuccessful and PET with 68Gallium revealed a single liver lesion. A left lobectomy was performed, but 15 months later a second liver lesion with the same characteristics as the previous one was observed and was surgically treated, followed by therapy with octreotide LAR 30 mg. A four-year follow-up did not show evidence of a different primitive NET: therefore, while it is improbable that a metastatic G2 primitive tumour would not have presented in the 4-year period, a diagnosis of primitive NET of the liver was made. The paper gives the opportunity of describing an unusual case of a primitive liver neuroendocrine tumour and of presenting the successful treatment of both surgery and cytoreductive pharmacological therapy.