Published online Jun 28, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i24.2640
Peer-review started: March 22, 2018
First decision: April 24, 2018
Revised: May 12, 2018
Accepted: May 26, 2018
Article in press: May 26, 2018
Published online: June 28, 2018
Processing time: 95 Days and 17.5 Hours
Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor (PHNET) is an extremely rare liver tumor. Patients often have no clinical symptoms or have only non-specific symptoms, such as abdominal pain and abdominal mass. The clinical manifestations, disease development, treatment methods, and treatment outcomes of PHNET vary greatly among cases. Here we report a case of PHNET with a confirmed 26-year survival before surgery. The patient was a 56-year-old female. A large right hepatic mass was detected when the patient was 30 years old. The tumor could not be removed during exploratory laparotomy, and constriction of the right hepatic artery and biopsy were conducted. Pathological results indicated a diagnosis of benign tumor, but a confirmed diagnosis was not reached. Twenty-six years after the patient had been living with the tumor, she sought treatment again because of tumor progression. After systematic evaluation of the resectability, the tumor was resected. Based on the examination results of the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, intraoperative examination results, pathological findings, and long-term follow-up results, the diagnosis of PHNET was confirmed. This case represents the longest reported survival time for a PHNET patient before removal of the tumor.
Core tip: In this work, we reported a rare case of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor. To our knowledge, the total number of cases does not exceed 150. The diagnosis, radiological features, treatment, and survival conditions vary among cases. Our case has two features that have not yet been reported in the literature: (1) The patient had a confirmed preoperative disease course of 26 years-the longest preoperative course among the reported cases; and (2) the lesion contained multiple calcifications, which is not reported previously.