Primary paediatric liver tumours: Queen Mary Hospital experience

Abstract

Ten children were admitted into Queen Mary Hospital in recent six years with primary liver tumours. The ages of 7 girls and 3 boys ranged from newborn to 14 years (mean 5 years). They presented with abdominal mass (4) abdominal pain (3), vomiting (2), abdominal distension (2), weight loss (2), gastrointestinal bleeding (1), hirsutism (1) and antenatal ultrasound diagnosis of liver tumour (1). The diagnoses were hepatoblastoma (3), hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (4), mesenchymal harmatoma (1), adenoma (1) and cavernous haemangioma (1). Although the mean size of the hepatoblastomas was 12 cm, after resection and postoperative chemotherapy, the patients are alive without evidence of recurrence for a mean period of 4.3 years. Only one patient (25%) with HCC was operable. Patients with inoperable HCC died within a mean period of 6 months inspite of chemotherapy. There was no mortality and minimal morbidity from the six liver resections. Primary liver tumours in children are relatively uncommon and the majority of malignant tumours presented late. For large hepatoblastoma, surgical resection and postoperative chemotherapy is recommended.