Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the extrahepatic duct

Hepatoid carcinoma is a unique type of extrahepatic tumor associated with hepatic differentiation and displays the morphological and functional features of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatoid carcinoma of the extrahepatic duct has rarely been reported in the literature. We report a 62-year-old man who presented with epigastric discomfort, xanthochromia, dull pain of the right shoulder, nausea and pruitus. Microscopic examination of the extrahepatic duct indicated that the tumor was primarily composed of "hepatoid cells", which were characterized by an eosinophilic cytoplasm, enlarged nucleus and prominent nucleoli. The cells were arranged in nests or proliferated in a trabecular pattern. Immunohistochemistry indicated that the tumor cells were positive for hepatocyte paraffin 1 and cytokeratins 8 and 18. Based on these findings, this case was diagnosed as hepatoid carcinoma of the extrahepatic duct. (C) 2013 Baishideng. All rights reserved.