Adult hepatoblastoma: Systemic review of the English literature

Abstract

Aims: To review all the case reports or case series of patients with adult hepatoblastoma. Methods: A search of all case reports on adult hepatoblastoma in the English literature was performed using the PubMed database. Demographic information, clinical findings, treatment modalities and outcomes were extracted and analyzed. Results: A total of 36 English articles and 40 patients with adult hepatoblastoma were collected. All these cases were confirmed by pathological diagnosis. The median age of the 40 patients was 41.5 years, including 21 males and 19 females. Hepatitis B virus tests were positive in 6 patients, and 15 patients were positive for α-fetoprotein (AFP). Liver cirrhosis was only confirmed in 7 cases. Hepatoblastoma commonly forms a single giant mass within the liver. Twenty-three cases underwent radical liver resection, including 9 cases of comprehensive treatment. The median survival time for 27 patients with available follow-ups was 4 months; 1-year survival was 29.6%. In Cox multivariate analysis, curative liver resection was an independent prognostic factor for prolonged survival (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Curative liver resection can prolong survival. Improvements in outcome will require the development of more effective systemic therapies. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.