Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung and the review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung is an extremely rare type of the non-small cell lung cancer. Treatment principles and prognosis are similar to that of lung adenocarcinoma. Case report A 62-year-old female smoker presented with a huge mass in the left upper lobe. After diagnostic biopsy, she underwent left pneumonectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection. A diagnosis of stage T4N1M0 hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung with positive surgical margins was made. Management and outcome After the operation, the level of serum alpha fetoprotein was 9010 ng/ml (N: <10). The level of serum alpha fetoprotein was decreased with concurrent chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy. Disease progression was detected at 11 months after diagnosis. No response was obtained to other therapies. The patient died at 14 months from the time of diagnosis. Discussion Usually, patients with hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung are male smokers. Hepatoid adenocarcinoma tends to settle in the upper lobes of the lung. The most important prognostic factor of the hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung is the disease stage at the diagnosis and patients with metastatic disease have poor survival.