A Resected Case of Primary Hepatic Malignant Lymphoma

Tadafumi Asaoka, Takeshi Tono, Akira Kaneko¹⁾, Yoshihiro Kin¹⁾, Takashi Iwazawa, Tadashi Ohnishi, Yoshiaki Nakano, Hiroshi Yano, Shigeru Okamoto²⁾ and Takushi Monden

Department of Surgery, Department of Internal Medicine¹⁾ and Department of Pathology²⁾, NTT West Osaka Hospital

A 37-year-old man with upper abdominal pain and high fever originally diagnosed with inflammatory hepatic pseudotumor elsewhere was admitted when the tumor gradually grew during follow-up. Abdominal CT showed a slightly enhanced, heterogeneous mass occupying the left hepatic lobe, and an another tumor 2.5 cm in diameter in liver segment VIII. Although accurate diagnosis was difficult, malignant disease was highly suspected both clinically and radiographically, necessitating hepatic lobectomy and partial liver resection. Histopathological findings showed diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Whole-body CT, Ga scintigraphy, and bone marrow biopsy did not demonstrate other lesions and the definitive diagnosis was primary hepatic malignant lymphoma. CHOP therapy postoperatively for 6 courses as adjuvant chemotherapy resulted in no recurrent lesions observed 18 months after surgery. It seems effective to perform surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy in the case of primary hepatic lymphoma without extrahepatic disease.

Key words
primary hepatic malignant lymphoma, hepatectomy, liver biopsy

Reprint requests
Tadafumi Asaoka Department of Surgery, NTT West Osaka Hospital
2-6-40 Karasugatsuji, Tennoji-ku, Osaka, 543-8922 JAPAN

Accepted
July 27, 2005

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