Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the liver: a cohort study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes for IMT of the liver in our large cohort of patients. METHODS: From January 2001 to December 2007, all patients with a pathological diagnosis of IMT of the liver who underwent partial hepatectomy were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: During the study period, 64 patients underwent partial hepatectomy for IMT of the liver in our tertiary referral center. The commonest clinical presentation was abdominal pain (53%), followed by fever (41%); 15.6% of patients were asymptomatic. Preoperative diagnosis of IMT was suspected in only five patients (8%). The indications for surgery included suspicion of malignancy (60.9%), uncertain diagnosis (40.6%), symptomatic disease (26.6%), and spontaneous rupture (3.1%). The postoperative complication rate was low (17.2%). There was no hospital mortality. After a median follow-up of 30 months, no patient developed recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Although there are various treatment options for IMT of the liver, surgical resection for good risk patients is preferred.