A retroperitoneal mass with elevated alpha-1-fetoprotein: not always a testicular carcinoma.

High levels of alpha-1-fetoprotein are usually associated with nonseminoma carcinoma of the testis or hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver. We describe a male patient with extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma who presented with a large retroperitoneal mass and extremely high alpha-1-fetoprotein levels. The importance of taking an adequate biopsy specimen cannot be emphasised enough since both prognosis and treatment are completely different.