| Literature DB >> 35328311 |
Valentin Varlas1,2, Oana Neagu3, Andreea Moga4, Radu Bălănescu2,4, Roxana Bohiltea1,2, Radu Vladareanu2,5, Laura Balanescu2,4.
Abstract
Abdominal tumor masses are a very rare disease in the fetus. The authors present the first reported case of neonatal multicystic adenomatoid hamartoma of the pancreas associated with well-differentiated fetal epithelial subtype hepatoblastoma and reveal clinical, histologic, and imagistic aspects. Case presentation: A 36-week-old female newborn in whom a 25-week ultrasound showed a relatively homogeneous pancreatic echogenic mass (34 × 30 × 55 mm) with compression of the inferior vena cava and retrograde dilation. Postnatal CT showed a giant pancreatic tumor mass (113 × 70 × 60 mm), with areas enhancing contrast and cystic/necrotic areas and a hypodense, hypocaptive nodule of 8 × 6 mm located at segment IV of the liver; thrombosis of the subhepatic segment of the inferior vena cava and both renal veins. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies confirmed the diagnosis of multicystic pancreatic adenomatoid hamartoma and well-differentiated fetal epithelial subtype hepatoblastoma. Conclusions: Pancreatic hamartoma can be difficult to diagnose (especially prenatal), with or without nonspecific symptoms. The synchronous presence of hepatoblastoma complicated the therapeutic conduct and prognosis of this case, with the diagnosis being confirmed histopathologically and immunohistochemically after liver biopsy.Entities:
Keywords: fetal abdominal mass; fetal inferior vena cava anomalies; fetal pancreatic tumors; hamartoma; hepatoblastoma; ultrasonography
Year: 2022 PMID: 35328311 PMCID: PMC8947736 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12030758
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Diagnostics (Basel) ISSN: 2075-4418
Synopsis of prenatal imagistic findings.
| Type of Exam | Age | Imagistic Findings |
|---|---|---|
| Abdominal ultrasound | 25th week |
pancreatic echogenic mass (34 × 30 × 55 mm), relatively homogeneous; no Doppler blood flow lungs, liver, and kidneys—normal aspect amniotic fluid—normal arterial and ductus venosus Doppler—normal |
| Abdominal ultrasound | 29th week |
pancreatic echogenic mass (50 × 35 × 65 mm) liver and both kidneys—normal aspect compression of the inferior vena cava, with retrograde dilation thrombosis of the subhepatic segment of the IVC amniotic fluid—normal arterial and ductus venosus Doppler—normal |
Figure 1Evolution of ultrasonography findings of a pancreatic tumor in a 25-week-old fetus (a) and at 29 weeks (b,c). (a) Sagittal image shows an echogenic mass (arrows) with a well-differentiated contour in the fetal pancreas. (b) Transversal image revealed an increased echogenic mass at 29 weeks in the fetal pancreas (arrows) compared to the previous examination. (c) Coronal image shows compression of the inferior vena cava by the tumor, with retrograde dilation. (d) Longitudinal image revealed the pancreatic tumor.
Synopsis of postnatal imagistic findings.
| Type of Exam | Age | Imagistic Findings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preoperative | Lung radiograph | 2nd day |
ascension of the diaphragm due to a pancreatic tumor mass ( |
| CT of the thorax, abdomen, and pelvis | 6th day |
giant pancreatic tumor mass (113 × 70 × 60 mm), with areas enhancing contrast and cystic/necrotic areas that encase mesenteric artery and vein, splenic vein, and porta inhomogeneous liver—hypodense, hypocaptive nodule of 8 × 6 mm located in segment IV spleen and kidneys—normal aspect; no pulmonary or bone lesions thrombosis of the subhepatic segment of the IVC and renal veins ( | |
| Postoperative | CT of abdomen and pelvis | Three weeks |
reduction of the retroperitoneal tumor masses (40 × 34 × 28 mm) compared to the previous examination, keeping the morphological characters mentioned extensive thrombosis of the IVC, with dilatation of the vein up to 30 mm, and of the renal veins significant aortic parietal edema, with lumen stenosis up to 2.2 mm ( ascites in large quantity |
| CT of the brain, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis | Four weeks |
inhomogeneous liver with two native hypodense masses without enhancement of contrast (segment IV a—11 × 6 mm, segment V—12 × 7 mm). Inhomogeneous tumor mass located in the root of the mesentery, diffuse, hypodense, with iodophilic tissue areas of 42 × 41 × 29 mm. The infra hepatic segment of the IVC increased to 35 mm extensive thrombosis in the splenic, right renal, mesenteric vein, port-mesenteric junction, with a thrombus of 16 × 10 mm, posterior to the aorta (stenosis at this level) aorta with decreased size in the infrarenal segment (2–3 mm) ascites in high quantity (52 mm anteroposterior in the inferior abdomen) inhomogeneous spleen with diffuse hypodense areas (perfusion disturbances) | |
| Abdominal ultrasound | Five weeks |
the retrohepatic segment of the IVC has 22 mm, with an 18 mm thrombus umbilical area—inhomogeneous abdominal tumor mass, 51 mm anteroposterior diameter, with multiple calcifications small to moderate ascites around the liver, spleen, and in the lower abdominal floor | |
| Abdominal ultrasound | Seven weeks |
the IVC diameter 31 mm with a 37 × 17 mm thrombus hypoechoic nodular formation 46 × 34 mm in the epigastrium, relatively well-delimited, inhomogeneous with transonic areas inside, moderately vascularized centrally without ascites or other modifications | |
| Abdominal ultrasound | Three months + three weeks |
liver—right lobe 81mm, relatively homogeneous, with a nodular image of 23 mm with mixed appearance, predominantly transonic in segment VII IVC diameter 40 mm; it has a 37 mm intraluminal transonic image, with numerous echoes ( | |
| Full-body CT | Six months |
multiple hepatic tumors with cystic components, and no pancreatic tumor ( extreme fusiform dilatation of the IVC (13.3 × 8.3 × 7.7 cm), the left renal vein (11.7 × 9.3 × 7.4 cm), and the superior mesenteric vein, with no distal flow with the development of distal collateral circulation. All dilated vascular structures presented thrombotic areas ( | |
| Last CT | Nine months |
increased size of the tumor liver and IVC diameter; significant dilation of the left renal vein |
Figure 2Postnatal imagistic findings. (a) Initial preoperative radiological evaluation showing ascension of the diaphragm due to pancreatic tumor mass. (b) Preoperative CT scan reveals a large mass in the fetal pancreas. (c) Postoperative CT scan showed residual tumor. (d) CT scan reveals multiple hepatic tumors with cystic components (arrows). (e) Ultrasonography showed liver relatively homogeneous with a nodular image of 23 mm with mixed appearance, predominantly transonic in segment VII. (f) Ultrasonography revealed multiple hepatic tumors with cystic components (arrows).
Figure 3Intraoperative image of pancreatic hamartoma and hepatic tumor (arrow).
Synopsis of histological evaluation.
| Type of Exam | Histopathological Findings |
|---|---|
| The histopathological exam with immunohistochemical tests ( |
pancreatic tumor: low-malignancy serous cystadenocarcinoma with ductal and acinar appearance areas, without excluding atypical serous cystadenoma. AFP−, Ki67+ in 15% of epithelial and stromal cells. CD30—(excludes embryonic carcinoma). |
| Histopathological re-evaluation (Dr. Monique Fabre, Necker Hospital, Paris, France) |
mixed pancreatic tumor:
solid component—dilated nests of acini and ducts with lobular organization and, more frequently, disorganized (dilated acini that incorporate ducts of different sizes). multicystic component—cysts with different dimensions and imprecisely delimited, bordered by unilayered mucinous cells with biliary–pancreatic differentiation, with a slight tendency to pseudo-stratification. Focal nests form multipapillary structures. areas of nuclear basophilia, no mitosis or infiltrative growth. The confluence of these cysts could result in a unilocular cyst bordered by thin epithelium in most areas, with no pancreatic tissue between the cysts. Linear eosinophilic calcifications are present. Inflammatory infiltrates present intracystic. There are necrosis areas, acini appear to be connected to cysts, dilated, sometimes with a tubular appearance. The cells show marked eosinophilic granules in the apical area, basophilic staining at the base, and large nuclei ( epithelial component expresses CK7+++ (apical, basal and lateral), CK8/18+ (diffuse, in the cyst epithelium, CK19+++ (cytoplasm with apical accentuation), CK20+ (apical, focal), CDX2+ (focal). no clear small cell component suggests serous differentiation, no rich subepithelial capillary network inferior to cysts—a feature in serous cystadenoma. HE staining cannot identify the endocrine component, Ki67+, in 15% (including epithelial and stromal cells) ( stroma has an inhomogeneous structure, and there is paucicellular connective tissue between the cysts, hyalinized, in various quantities. Abundant inflammatory infiltrates present throughout the tumor mass and edematous stroma without fatty components or calcifications. Some unilocular lesions have hyaline walls of various sizes. on some samples, a thin pseudo-fibrous capsule delimits the tumor tissue from a thin area of atrophic pancreatic tissue or peritoneum. There is no hyperplasia of the pancreatic islet cells without chronic pancreatic obstruction in the remaining pancreatic tissue. At the edge of the tumor, remaining atrophic pancreatic tissue, a rich network of large vessels (arteries and veins) and nerves with no tumor infiltration. Proposed diagnosis: mixed hamartoma (solid and cystic), also called multicystic adenomatoid hamartoma of the pancreas; benign lesion. |
| The histopathological exam with immunohistochemical tests |
biopsy fragments of fibroconjunctive tissue with tumor proliferation composed of round cells, pale eosinophilic or clear cytoplasm, central nucleus, small in size, normochromic; tumor cells are arranged in nests, cords, trabeculae; some cells contain brown pigment; very low mitotic rate. glypican+; OCH1E5+; INI-1+ in tumor cell nuclei; αFP−; β Catenin + membrane and cytoplasmic; Ki67+ 10% in tumor cells. Proposed diagnosis: well-differentiated fetal epithelial subtype hepatoblastoma. |
| Autopsy |
nests of hepatocytes of the developing fetal liver, separated by fibrous or myxoid edematous stroma; thin trabeculae of hepatocytes forming pseudo acinar spaces with central bile plug ( vena cava wall: granulation tissue with neoangiogenesis and giant thrombus ( |
Figure 4Histological findings of the pancreatic hamartoma, hepatoblastoma, and vena cava blocks. (a) Hamartoma of the pancreas: Cysts of variable sizes, lined by a single layer of cuboidal or columnar cells (H&E staining, ×100). (b) Hamartoma of the pancreas: Cyst with foveolar lining, punctuated by focal goblet-cell differentiation (H&E staining, ×200). (c) Hepatoblastoma: Nests of hepatocytes of the developing fetal liver, separated by fibrous stroma (H&E staining, ×100). (d) Hepatoblastoma: Thin trabeculae of hepatocytes forming pseudo acinar spaces with central bile plug (H&E staining, ×200). (e) Vessel wall: Granulation tissue with neoangiogenesis inside the vena cava wall (H&E staining, ×200). (f) Recent giant thrombus formed by fibrin and erythrocytes (H&E staining, ×25).
Figure 5Immunohistochemical findings of the pancreatic hamartoma. (a) CK8/18 diffuse positive in the cysts epithelium, 200×; (b) CK20 focal positive in epithelial cells, 200×; (c) Low proliferative index—Ki67 (<1%) in the hamartomata’s epithelium, 200×.
Figure 6(a,b) Postmortem macroscopic pathology shows liver damage (hepatoblastoma).
Characteristics of pancreatic hamartomas of newborns and children reported in the all-time literature.
| Author (Year) [Ref] | Age | Sex | Clinical Features of the Tumor | Management and Prognosis | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith (1960) [ | 2 m | F | Solid, tail | Trisomy 18 |
| 2 | Rohde (1964) [ | 2 m | F | Cysts | Trisomy 18 |
| 3 | Burt (1983) [ | 34 w | F | Solid and cystic, 11.5 cm, diffuse | PD and splenectomy/alive 3 m |
| 4 | Flaherthy (1992) [ | 20 m | F | Solid and cystic, 9 cm, head | Local resection/alive 9 m |
| 5 | Sepulveda (2000) [ | 27 w | M | Large multicystic, 12 cm, diffuse | Excision of the tumor and partial duodenectomy/at 1 year of age, he remains symptom-free |
| 6 | Thrall (2007) [ | 3 y | M | Multicystic adenomatoid, 3 cm, head | PD |
| 7 | Sueyoshi (2009) [ | 14 m | M | Multicystic adenomatoid, 14 cm, tail | Local resection/alive 26 m |
| 8 | Delgado (2017) [ | 33 w | F | Cysts, 1.2 cm | Trisomy 18/alive 1 h |
| 9 | Hosfield (2019) [ | 4 y | M | Multicystic adenomatoid, 9.5 cm, head | PD/alive 3 m |
| 10 | Present case (2020) | 36 w | F | Multicystic adenomatoid, 11 cm, diffuse | Local resection/alive 11 m |
PD—pancreaticoduodenectomy, F—female, M—male, m—months, w—weeks, y—years.
Synopsis of imagistic evaluation of fetal pancreatic and liver tumors. Adapted from Birkemeier, K.L. (2020) [19].
| Imagistic Features | Prenatal Diagnosis | |
|---|---|---|
| Pancreas | ||
| Hamartoma |
hypoechoic mass with a clear boundary on MRI, the shape of the tumor was often regular | 2nd and 3rd trimesters |
| Adenocarcinoma |
hypovascular mass with pancreatic duct dilatation invasion of surrounding tissues | NA |
| Neuroendocrine tumor |
solid, circumscribed mass, with hypervascular pattern initial intensification after administration of the contrast substance large tumors may show cystic areas, calcifications | NA |
| LIVER | ||
| Hemangioma |
large, well-circumscribed tumor with variable echogenicity T2-hyperintense mass on MRI, without pseudocapsule, with areas of necrosis and calcifications at the periphery of the lesion, large vessels and areas of bleeding | 3rd trimester |
| Mesenchymal hamartoma |
cystic and solid multilocular lesions with septa, nodules, and intracystic hemorrhage peduncled or calcified polyhydramnios | 2nd and 3rd trimesters |
| Hepatoblastoma |
hyperechoic solid mass with hypervascularity large solitary/multifocal heterogeneous mass T2-hyperintense mass on MRI. areas of hemorrhage or necrosis with compression of venous structures | late 3rd trimester |