Mixed Hepatoblastoma in a Young Male Adult: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a rare malignant tumour of the liver and usually occurs in the first three years of life. Most of these tumours arise in the embryo; hence it seems to be unusual that hepatoblastoma occurs in adults and is an exceptional cause of primary malignant liver tumour in adult patients. The diagnosis is often overlooked, and patients might be diagnosed at late stages of the disease at risk of increased mortality. In this paper we report a case of a 30-year-old man with mixed hepatoblastoma and abdominal pain, hepatomegaly and fever. The patient under went noninvasive diagnostic methods: duplex scanning, Computed Tomography (CT), and Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI). In our experience, despite the important role of histological sample provided by biopsy in defining the diagnosis, very important was the role of MRI, more than ultrasonography and enhanced CT. The MRI detects tumor features as size, margins, and ratio with neighboring organs in order to get the best surgical approach.