Three Cases of Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Treated with Surgical Resection: A Case Series and Literature Review.
- 1Department of Gastroenterological Surgery 1, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
- 2Department of Surgical Pathology, Hokkaido University Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
Abstract
Introduction
Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors (PHNETs) are extremely rare, accounting for approximately 0.3% of all neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Because the liver is the most common metastatic site of NETs, distinguishing PHNET from metastatic disease is often challenging. Optimal treatment strategies and follow-up protocols for PHNET have not been well established. We report 3 cases of PHNET treated with surgical resection.Case presentation
Case 1 involved a 42-year-old woman with a liver tumor detected during a routine medical examination. Laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed under the preoperative diagnosis of hepatic adenoma or hemangioma. Histopathological examination revealed a NET, grade 2. The patient developed intrahepatic recurrence 5 years and 8 months after the initial surgery and underwent repeat hepatectomy. Case 2 involved a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with PHNET (grade 2) by liver biopsy. Laparoscopic extended posterior sectionectomy was performed. Intrahepatic recurrence occurred 3 years and 9 months later, and repeat hepatectomy was performed. Case 3 involved a 50-year-old man diagnosed with NET (grade 1) by endoscopic US-guided fine-needle aspiration. Extended left hepatectomy with partial resection of segment 8 was performed. He remains recurrence-free. In all cases, comprehensive examinations, including endoscopy, somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI), and PET, revealed no evidence of extrahepatic primary lesions, leading to the diagnosis of PHNET.Conclusions
PHNET is a rare tumor that may recur several years after curative resection. Careful long-term follow-up is therefore required, and repeat surgical resection may be an effective treatment option for selected patients with recurrent disease.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{kobayashi2026three,
title = {{Three Cases of Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Treated with Surgical Resection: A Case Series and Literature Review.}},
author = {Takanari Kobayashi and Sunao Fujiyoshi and Shunsuke Shichi and Yuzuru Sakamoto and Takeshi Aiyama and Akihisa Nagatsu and Norio Kawamura and Masaaki Watanabe and Ryoichi Goto and Tatsuhiko Kakisaka and Kenjiro Kato and Takuya Otsuka and Akinobu Taketomi},
journal = {Surgical case reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.70352/scrj.cr.26-0333},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923049},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Three Cases of Primary Hepatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Treated with Surgical Resection: A Case Series and Literature Review.
AU - Takanari Kobayashi
AU - Sunao Fujiyoshi
AU - Shunsuke Shichi
AU - Yuzuru Sakamoto
AU - Takeshi Aiyama
AU - Akihisa Nagatsu
AU - Norio Kawamura
AU - Masaaki Watanabe
AU - Ryoichi Goto
AU - Tatsuhiko Kakisaka
AU - Kenjiro Kato
AU - Takuya Otsuka
AU - Akinobu Taketomi
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Surgical case reports
DO - 10.70352/scrj.cr.26-0333
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42923049
AB - Introduction Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors (PHNETs) are extremely rare, accounting for approximately 0.3% of all neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Because the liver is the most common metastatic site of NETs, distinguishing PHNET from metastatic disease is often challenging. Optimal treatment strategies and follow-up protocols for PHNET have not been well established. We report 3 cases of PHNET treated with surgical resection.Case presentation Case 1 involved a 42-year-old woman with a liver tumor detected during a routine medical examination. Laparoscopic partial hepatectomy was performed under the preoperative diagnosis of hepatic adenoma or hemangioma. Histopathological examination revealed a NET, grade 2. The patient developed intrahepatic recurrence 5 years and 8 months after the initial surgery and underwent repeat hepatectomy. Case 2 involved a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with PHNET (grade 2) by liver biopsy. Laparoscopic extended posterior sectionectomy was performed. Intrahepatic recurrence occurred 3 years and 9 months later, and repeat hepatectomy was performed. Case 3 involved a 50-year-old man diagnosed with NET (grade 1) by endoscopic US-guided fine-needle aspiration. Extended left hepatectomy with partial resection of segment 8 was performed. He remains recurrence-free. In all cases, comprehensive examinations, including endoscopy, somatostatin receptor imaging (SRI), and PET, revealed no evidence of extrahepatic primary lesions, leading to the diagnosis of PHNET.Conclusions PHNET is a rare tumor that may recur several years after curative resection. Careful long-term follow-up is therefore required, and repeat surgical resection may be an effective treatment option for selected patients with recurrent disease.
SN - 2198-7793
ER -