Late recurrence of a hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with incomplete Alagille syndrome.

In this study, the case of a patient presenting a second hepatocellular carcinoma 13 years after resection of a first tumor of the same type is reported. In this case, etiological investigations remained negative, but an incomplete form of syndromatic Alagille syndrome with paucity of bile ducts in the nontumoral tissue was detected and associated with nodular regenerative hyperplasia and foci of dysplasia. Malignant transformation in Alagille syndrome seems to be extremely rare. The fact that such tumors evolve very slowly could be an argument for partial hepatectomy and, if necessary, liver transplantation.