A case of primary biliary cirrhosis that complicated with combined hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is frequently complicated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but complication with combined hepatocellular and cholangiocellular carcinoma (cHCC-CC) or cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC) has not been reported. Here, we describe a case of PBC in which cHCC-CC occurred. The patient was a 70-year-old man who had developed jaundice at 62 years old. He was diagnosed with PBC based on a liver biopsy and blood tests. In August 2006, blood tests showed elevated alpha-fetoprotein, and a liver tumor in the right lobe and a metastatic lymphadenopathy in the back near to the head of the pancreas were detected by abdominal contrast-enhanced CT. A (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET scan showed accumulation of the tracer in the tumor and in a lymph node at the back of the pancreas. The tumor and lymph node were removed, and the tumor was diagnosed pathologically as cHCC-CC based on the presence of features of HCC and CCC. This case is the first to show that a patient with PBC can develop cHCC-CC. This is of interest, since cHCC-CC may originate in hepatic stem cells or hepatic precursor cells. This case also suggests that cHCC-CC should be included as a differential diagnosis for a liver tumor complicated with PBC.