Oncol Lett 2022 Jul 26;24(1):227. Epub 2022 May 26.
Department of Liver Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610000, P.R. China.
Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-negative hepatic inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) harboring the ETS variant transcription factor 6-neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 3 () fusion gene and manifesting with biloma are extremely rare, and their biological behavior is unclear. The present study reports the case of a 45-year-old female with ALK-negative IMT of the liver harboring the fusion gene and manifesting with biloma. Computed tomography of the abdomen confirmed the lesions to be a low-density mass, measuring 11.2×8.5×10.5 cm, located in the left lobe of the liver, and a lower-density mass, measuring 8.5×6.1×5.9 cm, located in the interior of the tumor. As the suspicion of a malignancy remained high, surgical resection of the left hepatic lobe, including the tumor, was undertaken. Intraoperatively, a tumor (12×10×9 cm), with an unclear boundary, incomplete capsule and fish-like texture, was found in the left lateral lobe of the liver, and a biloma, measuring 8×6 cm, was identified inside the tumor. Pathological examination revealed spindle cell proliferation with infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells and mucinous degeneration. Immunohistochemical studies showed negativity for ALK, CD117, CD34, discovered on GIST-1, desmin, smooth muscle actin, S-100, CD21, pan-cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, CD23 and CD35, but positivity for vimentin staining, and 5% Ki-67-positive cells. Fluorescence hybridization studies assessing characteristic genetic rearrangements using and break-apart assays, revealed the presence of the fusion oncogene and negativity for and . The patient was discharged 7 days post-operatively, without any adjuvant treatment. No recurrence of symptoms was noted at the 3-year follow-up. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of biloma in an ALK-negative IMT of the liver, which may increase our understanding of hepatic IMT.