Spindle cell hepatocellular carcinoma
Spindle cell hepatocellular carcinoma, also called sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma, is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). These patients are reported to have low or normal AFP levels, otherwise risk factors and clinical presentation are similar to typical hepatocellular carcinoma.
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Epidemiology
The spindle cell variant occurred in ~2% of surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma specimens 1,2.
Pathology
Spindle cell HCC is thought to arise either sporadically, or more commonly degenerate from an existing HCC secondary to therapies such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolisation (TACE), radiofrequency (RF) ablation, or percutaneous ethanol injection 2.
Histology
A variable percentage of the tumor contains spindle-shaped cells forming interlacing bundles. This is thought to represent sarcomatous differentiation of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Radiographic features
Currently, there are no specific imaging features and cases are diagnosed retrospectively. Refer on the main article of HCC for a broad discussion on imaging features of this condition.
Treatment and prognosis
There is no standard treatment. The difference between typical hepatocellular carcinoma and the spindle cell variant is uncertain, but prognosis is thought to be poor, partly because metastasis is thought to be more common in the spindle cell variant 1.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Hepatobiliary pathology
- depositional disorders
- infection and inflammation
- liver abscess
- hepatic hydatid infection
- cirrhosis
- hepatitis
- cholecystitis
- cholangitis
- malignancy
- liver and intrahepatic bile duct tumors
- benign epithelial tumors
- hepatocellular hyperplasia
- hepatocellular adenoma
- hepatic/biliary cysts
- benign nonepithelial tumors
- primary malignant epithelial tumors
- hepatocellular carcinoma
- hepatocellular carcinoma variants
-
cholangiocarcinoma
- intra-hepatic
- mass-forming type
- periductal infiltrating type - Klatskin tumors
- intraductal growing type
- extra-hepatic/large duct type
- intra-hepatic
- biliary cystadenocarcinoma
- combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma
- hepatoblastoma
- undifferentiated carcinoma
- primary malignant nonepithelial tumors
- hematopoietic and lymphoid tumors
- primary hepatic lymphoma
- hepatic myeloid sarcoma (hepatic chloroma)
- secondary tumors
- miscellaneous
- adrenal rest tumors
- hepatic carcinosarcoma
- hepatic fibroma
- hepatic Kaposi sarcoma
- hepatic lipoma
- hepatic mesenchymal hamartoma
- hepatic myxoma
- hepatic rhabdoid tumor
- hepatic solitary fibrous tumor
- hepatic teratoma
- hepatic yolk sac tumor
- inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (inflammatory pseudotumor)
- nodular regenerative hyperplasia
- pancreatic rest tumors
- primary hepatic carcinoid
- benign epithelial tumors
- liver and intrahepatic bile duct tumors
- metabolic
- trauma
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vascular and perfusion disorders
- portal vein related
- hepatic artery related
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- inferior vena cava related
- other
- third inflow
- liver thrombotic angiitis
- infra diaphragmatic total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR)
- hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (Osler-Weber-Rendu disease)
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