Undifferentiated liver embryonal sarcoma in adults: A report of four cases and literature review

Abstract

AIM: To evaluate the undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of liver (UESL) in adults in order to improve its diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: Four primary and one recurrent cases of UESL were clinicopathologically evaluated and immunohistochemically investigated with a panel of antibodies using the EnVision+ system. Relevant literature about UESL in adults was reviewed. RESULTS: Three males and one female were enrolled in this study. Their chief complaints were abdominal pain, weight loss, or fever. Laboratory tests, imaging and pathological features of UESL in adults were similar to those in children. Immunohistochemistry showed evidence of widely divergent differentiation into mesenchymal and epithelial phenotypes. The survival time of patients who underwent complete tumor resection followed by adjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) was significantly longer than that of those who underwent surgical treatment alone. CONCLUSION: UESL in adults may undergo pluripotential differentiation and its diagnosis should be made based on its morphological and immunohistochemical features. Complete tumor resection after adjuvant TACE may improve the survival time of such patients. © 2010 Baishideng.