Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Cholangiolocellular carcinoma with rapid progression initially showing abnormally elevated serum alfa-fetoprotein

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Clinical Journal of Gastroenterology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cholangiolocellular carcinoma (CoCC) is a rare malignant liver tumor derived from hepatic progenitor cells, which exist in the canals of Hering. We encountered a case of CoCC with an extremely poor clinical course, initially showing abnormally elevated serum alfa-fetoprotein (AFP). A 72-year-old male presented with a liver tumor and abnormally elevated serum AFP levels (16,399 ng/ml). We preoperatively diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma and performed extended right hepatectomy, after which the serum AFP levels remarkably decreased to 97 ng/ml. Postoperatively, the disease was pathologically diagnosed as CoCC. Furthermore, immunohistochemical pathological findings were alcian blue negative, cytokeratin (CK) 7 partially positive, CK19 positive, hepatocyte paraffin-1 negative, membranous negative for epithelial membrane antigen, and AFP negative. Fifty-five days later, intra- and extrahepatic recurrence developed, and the patient died 65 days after surgery. Although CoCCs show favorable outcomes, these characteristics of our case were not previously reported. It is necessary to accumulate more information on CoCC.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Steiner PE, Higginson J. Cholangiolocellular carcinoma of the liver. Cancer. 1959;12:753–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Shiota K, Taguchi J, Nakashima O, et al. Clinicopathologic study on cholangiolocellular carcinoma. Oncol Rep. 2001;8:263–8.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Kozaka K, Sasaki M, Fujii T, et al. A subgroup of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with an infiltrating replacement growth pattern and a resemblance to reactive proliferating bile ductules: ‘‘bile ductular carcinoma’’. Histopathology. 2007;51:390–400.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Komuta M, Spee B, Vander Borght S, et al. Clinicopathological study on cholangiolocellular carcinoma suggesting hepatic progenitor cell origin. Hepatology. 2008;4:1544–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Ariizumi S, Kotera Y, Katagiri S, et al. Long-term survival of patients with cholangiolocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2014;21:S451–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rahbari NN, Garden OJ, Padbury R, et al. Posthepatectomy liver failure: a definition and grading by the International Study Group of Liver Surgery (ISGLS). Surgery. 2011;149:713–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. DabevaMD S. Activation, proliferation, anddifferentiationof progenitor cells into hepatocytes in the d-galactosamine model of liver regeneration. Am J Pathol. 1993;143:1606–20.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Kadono M, Kimura K, Imamura J, et al. A case of a large cholangiolocellular carcinoma. Clin J Gastroenterol. 2011;4:340–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I would like to gratefully and sincerely thank Dr. Tsutumi in Saiseikai Chuwa Hospital for suggesting the pathological assessment.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-Ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Tomoaki Yoh

  2. Department of Surgery, Yamatotakada Municipal Hospital, Yamatotakada, Japan

    Tomoaki Yoh, Tatsushi Kato, Yoshiaki Hirohata, Yuya Nakamura, Hiroyuki Nakayama & Ryuji Okamura

Authors
  1. Tomoaki Yoh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tatsushi Kato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yoshiaki Hirohata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yuya Nakamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hiroyuki Nakayama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ryuji Okamura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tomoaki Yoh.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest:

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Human Rights:

All procedures followed have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

Informed Consent:

Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yoh, T., Kato, T., Hirohata, Y. et al. Cholangiolocellular carcinoma with rapid progression initially showing abnormally elevated serum alfa-fetoprotein . Clin J Gastroenterol 9, 257–260 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-016-0667-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-016-0667-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation