Surgical resection of adrenal metastasis from primary liver tumors:a report of two cases

BACKGROUND:Although the treatment of extrahepatic metastases from primary liver tumors is essentially palliative,solitary metastasis from such tumors offers a possibility of cure by surgical resection.The adrenal gland is an uncommon site for metastasis from primary liver tumors. METHOD:We report two cases of adrenalectomy for solitary adrenal metastasis:one from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and the other from hepatocellular carcinoma. RESULTS:The patient with intrahepatic cholangiocar- cinoma had a synchronous adrenal metastasis and underwent simultaneous liver resection and adrenalectomy. However,he developed recurrent disease 17 months following surgery for which he is presently on palliative chemotherapy.The other patient underwent adrenalectomy for adrenal metastasis 3 months following liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.He is presently alive and disease-free 27 months after adrenalectomy. CONCLUSION:Carefully selected patients with solitary metastasis from primary liver tumors may be considered for resection.

Giant hepatic extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumor treated with cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant systemic therapy:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Primary extra-gastrointestinal stromal tumors(E-GIST)of the liver are rare.The clinical presentation may range from asymptomatic to bleeding or manifestations of mass effect.Oncologic surgery followed by adjuvant therapy with imatinib is the standard of care.However,under specific circumstances,a cytoreductive approach may represent a therapeutic option.We describe herein the case of an 84-year-old woman who presented with a tender,protruding epigastric mass.Abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a large,heterogeneous mass located across segments III,IV,V,and VIII of the liver.The initial approach was transarterial embolization of the tumor,which elicited no appreciable response.Considering the large size and central location of the tumor and the advanced age of the patient,non-anatomic complete resection was indicated.Due to substantial intraoperative bleeding and hemodynamic instability,only a near-complete resection could be achieved.Histopathology and immunohistochemical staining confirmed the diagnosis of primary E-GIST of the liver.Considering the risk/benefit ratio for therapeutic options,debulking surgery may represent a strategy to control pain and prolong survival.CASE SUMMARY Here,we present a case report of a patient diagnosed with E-GIST primary of the liver,which was indicated a cytoreductive surgery and adjuvant therapy with imatinib.CONCLUSION E-GIST primary of the liver is a rare conditional,the treatment is with systemic therapy and total resection surgery.However,a cytoreductive surgery will be necessary when a complete resection is no possible.

Primary Hepatic Extra-gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors:Molecular Pathogenesis,Immunohistopathology,and Treatment

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.They originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal and are usually found in extrahepatic gastrointestinal sites.However,a small subset are derived from the liver and are known as primary hepatic gastrointestinal stromal tumors(PHGIST).They have a poor prognosis and are historically difficult to diagnose.Our objective was to review and update the latest evidence-based knowledge concerning PHGIST,with a focus on epidemiology,etiology,pathophysiology,clinical presentation,histopathology,and treatment.These tumors are usually found incidentally,occur sporadically,and are associated with mutations of KIT and PDGFRA genes.PHGIST is a diagnosis of exclusion,as it has the same molecular,immunochemistry and histological appearance as gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GIST).Thus,imaging,such as positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)must be used to rule out metastatic GIST before a diagnosis can be made.However,with mutation analysis and pharmacological advances,tyrosine kinase inhibitors are typically pursued with or without surgical intervention.Other potential treatments include transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and tumor ablation.However,these are typically considered palliative options.As there are only a limited number of publications regarding PHGIST,data concerning morbidity and mortality are not yet available.Immunohistopathology can help develop screening guidelines and evaluating resistance to treatment.

Ultrasomics in liver cancer: Developing a radiomics model for differentiating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma from hepatocellular carcinoma using contrast-enhanced ultrasound

BACKGROUND Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(ICC)represent the predominant histological types of primary liver cancer,comprising over 99%of cases.Given their differing biological behaviors,prognoses,and treatment strategies,accurately differentiating between HCC and ICC is crucial for effective clinical management.Radiomics,an emerging image processing technology,can automatically extract various quantitative image features that may elude the human eye.Reports on the application of ultrasound(US)-based radiomics methods in distinguishing HCC from ICC are limited.METHODS In our retrospective study,we included a total of 280 patients who were diagnosed with ICC(n=140)and HCC(n=140)between 1999 and 2019.These patients were divided into training(n=224)and testing(n=56)groups for analysis.US images and relevant clinical characteristics were collected.We utilized the XGBoost method to extract and select radiomics features and further employed a random forest algorithm to establish ultrasomics models.We compared the diagnostic performances of these ultrasomics models with that of radiologists.RESULTS Four distinct ultrasomics models were constructed,with the number of selected features varying between models:13 features for the US model;15 for the contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)model;13 for the combined US+CEUS model;and 21 for the US+CEUS+clinical data model.The US+CEUS+clinical data model yielded the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC)among all models,achieving an AUC of 0.973 in the validation cohort and 0.971 in the test cohort.This performance exceeded even the most experienced radiologist(AUC=0.964).The AUC for the US+CEUS model(training cohort AUC=0.964,test cohort AUC=0.955)was significantly higher than that of the US model alone(training cohort AUC=0.822,test cohort AUC=0.816).This finding underscored the significant benefit of incorporating CEUS information in accurately distin-guishing ICC from HCC.CONCLUSION We developed a radiomics diagnostic model based on CEUS images capable of quickly distinguishing HCC from ICC,which outperformed experienced radiologists.