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Chok et al. Hepatoma Res 2016;2:297-9 Hepatoma Research
DOI: 10.20517/2394-5079.2016.04
www.hrjournal.net
Case Report Open Access

An extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma

mimicking a primary liver cancer

Kenneth Siu Ho Chok , Florence Loong , Chung Mau Lo 1
2
1
1 Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
2 Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Correspondence to: Dr. Kenneth Siu Ho Chok, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
E-mail: kennethchok@gmail.com

How to cite this article: Chok KSH, Loong F, Lo CM. An extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma mimicking a primary liver cancer. Hepatoma Res
2016;2:297-9.
ABSTRACT
Article history: Despite doctors’ every effort to be vigilant when diagnosing, sometimes a preoperative
Received: 24-02-2016 diagnosis is disproved by postoperative pathological examination. A patient was diagnosed
Accepted: 14-10-2016 with hepatocellular carcinoma and received surgery as treatment. On operation, a solitary
Published: 07-11-2016 retroperitoneal mass rather than a liver lesion was seen. On histopathological examination, the
retroperitoneal mass was found to be an extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma.
Key words:
Hepatocellular carcinoma,
liver resection,
major vascular resection,
hepatitis B carrier

INTRODUCTION had been generally healthy. Physical examination
found nothing significant and his blood pressure was
Despite doctors’ every effort to be vigilant when normal. Results of initial blood tests showed a normal
diagnosing, sometimes a preoperative diagnosis is complete blood picture and normal hepatic and renal
disproved by postoperative pathological examination. functions. He had no chronic hepatitis B or C. His
Below is a case of a patient having surgery as α-fetoprotein and carcinoembryonic antigen levels
treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) but the were within normal ranges.
patient’s disease was actually not HCC.
Computed tomography of the abdomen showed a
CASE REPORT 5.8 cm × 4.8 cm × 7.7 cm heterogeneous arterial
enhancing mass with portovenous washout occupying
A 57-year-old Chinese man presented to a private the whole caudate lobe of liver. It was abutting on the
surgeon for epigastric pain and significant weight inferior vena cava (IVC). There was suspected tumor
loss of 20 pounds in a few weeks. He was not a thrombosis invading the hepatic and infrahepatic
heavy drinker (having a can of beer weekly) and portion of the IVC with heterogeneous enhancement

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