Hepatocellular Carcinoma Arising from Ectopic Liver: Report of a Case

Unlike an ectopic pancreas, an ectopic liver is an unusual condition. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising from an ectopic liver is extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of a 41-year-old male patient who suffered from a painful left upper abdominal mass for three months. He had undergone a resection of a left upper retroperitoneal tumor at another hospital 4 years previously. The liver was normal and free of tumor at that time. The pathology revealed a carcinoma of unknown origin. Imaging studies showed a left upper abdominal mass behind the stomach and spleen. His serum-fetoprotein (AFP) was 19.65 ng/m (normal＜8 ng/ml). After laparotomy, the liver was normal without connection to the tumor. He underwent wedge resection of the stomach, partial resection of the left diaphragm, segmental resection of the jejunum and transverse colon. Pathological examination showed a hepatocellular carcinoma. He remained disease-free one year after operation. No recurrence has been observed during the regular follow-up at our department.