Hepatocellular carcinoma in non-cirrhotic liver without evidence of iron overload in a patient with primary hemochromatosis. Review.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of a 70-year-old male with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a history of hemochromatosis but with no evidence of cirrhosis or iron overload and with a history of exposure to atomic bomb radiation. It is very rare to see hepatocellular carcinoma in the absence of evidence of liver injury.
METHODS: We did an extensive review of current English medical literature through Pubmed from 1980 to 2009 and found 14 case reports of patient with hepatocellular cancer in absence of cirrhosis. The details of these cases were reanalyzed as reported and documented for review.
RESULTS: There are 14 previous case reports of HCC developing in hemochromatosis in absence of cirrhosis but ten of them had evidence of iron overload in the non-tumorous livers. Our case is the fifth case of Hepatocellular cancer in hemochromatosis in absence of cirrhosis and iron overload.
CONCLUSION: Hepatocellular carcinoma is a very rare in absence of cirrhosis but patient with other risk factors like hemochromatosis, viral infections, radiation, and toxin exposure should be monitored closely for any sign and symptoms suggestive of malignancy.