Clear cell hepatocellular carcinoma arising 25 years after the successful treatment of an infantile hepatoblastoma

Abstract

Primary liver tumors in children are rare with hepatoblastoma (HB) being the most common malignancy. Clear cell carcinoma, a variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is another rare tumor of the liver that tends to affect adults. We describe the diagnosis and management of the only known documented case of a primary clear cell HCC arising twenty-five years after the patient was successfully treated with chemotherapy and surgical resection for a malignant HB as an infant. While some evidence has shown a genetic link between HB and various types of HCC, other research has shown distinct chromosomal alterations and molecular mechanisms unique to both. Further knowledge of liver tumorigenesis will help elucidate the complicated genetic, molecular, and environmental factors involved in the development of these two rare hepatic malignancies.

Keywords

• Clear cell hepatocellular carcinoma
• Hepatoblastoma
• Radioembolization
• Yttrium-90 labeled microspheres
• Liver tumorigenesis