C‑KIT‑positive undifferentiated tumor of the liver: A case report

Chu,Hyun  Hee; Cho,Baik  Hwan; Song,Ji  Soo; Kim,Kyung  Mi; Moon,Woo  Sung

doi:10.3892/ol.2014.2324

October 2014 Volume 8 Issue 4

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October 2014 Volume 8 Issue 4

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Case Report

C‑KIT‑positive undifferentiated tumor of the liver: A case report

Authors:
- Hyun Hee Chu
- Baik Hwan Cho
- Ji Soo Song
- Kyung Mi Kim
- Woo Sung Moon
View Affiliations / Copyright

Affiliations: Department of Pathology, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences and Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju 561‑756, Republic of Korea, Department of Surgery, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences and Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju 561‑756, Republic of Korea, Department of Radiology, Chonbuk National University, Medical School, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences and Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, Jeonju 561‑756, Republic of Korea, Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul 135‑710, Republic of Korea
Pages: 1665-1669
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Published online on: July 8, 2014

https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2014.2324
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Abstract

With recent advances in cancer stem cell analysis, it has been postulated that the transformation of hepatic stem and progenitor cells underlies the development of certain liver cancers. Human C‑KIT is a transmembrane type III receptor protein with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity that has been proposed as a marker for human embryonic stem cells. In addition, human C‑KIT functions in maintaining the undifferentiated state of stem cells, and has been identified as a marker for human hematopoietic and hepatic stem/progenitor cells. The present study identified an unusual case of a C‑KIT‑positive hepatic tumor with an undifferentiated stem cell phenotype distinct from existing descriptions of liver tumors. A 69‑year‑old male with Ampulla of Vater (AoV) cancer was admitted to the hospital for the treatment of a hepatic mass that was incidentally detected during evaluation of AoV cancer. Microscopically, the hepatic tumor was composed of solidly packed small, round and uniform undifferentiated cells, which resembled that of a small‑blue‑round‑cell tumor. The immunophenotype of neoplastic cells (C‑KIT+/EpCAM+/E‑cadherin+/keratin 7‑/keratin 19‑/α‑fetoprotein‑/albumin‑) supported primitive stem cell features with no hepatic or biliary phenotypes. Polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing revealed no C‑KIT mutations. It is suggested that this tumor may have originated from transformed C‑KIT+/EpCAM+/E‑cadherin+ cells, which are more primitive and undifferentiated than bipotential hepatic progenitor cells.

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Journals

International Journal of Molecular Medicine

International Journal of Oncology

Molecular Medicine Reports

Oncology Reports

Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine

Oncology Letters

Biomedical Reports

Molecular and Clinical Oncology

World Academy of Sciences Journal

International Journal of Functional Nutrition

International Journal of Epigenetics

Medicine International

C‑KIT‑positive undifferentiated tumor of the liver: A case report

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