Hepatic Follicular Dendritic Cell Sarcoma with Epithelioid Morphology: Histopathologist's Perspective

Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) sarcoma is an uncommon tumor of the liver with only 30 previous cases reported in the English literature. Histopathological examination is the gold standard for the diagnosis of FDC sarcoma although the diagnosis is often missed because of its rarity. It usually presents with spindle-cell morphology although epithelioid/biphasic morphology is also well-known. This morphological variation can also pose a diagnostic challenge. We discuss a case of unresectable hepatic FDC sarcoma in an adult male who was diagnosed in core biopsy. We highlight the relevant histomorphological differentials and diagnostic approaches to FDC sarcoma in this anecdote.

Intrahepatic De Novo Tumors in Liver Recipients are Highly Associated With Recurrent Viral Hepatitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Long-term survival of liver transplant recipients is endangered by tumorigenesis at different sites. Little is known about primary de novo tumors developing in the graft.

METHODS

We analyzed the follow-up data of 2731 liver recipients that were transplanted between 1988 and 2019 at our institution (Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Surgery). All cases with new intrahepatic tumors during follow-up were identified.

RESULTS

A total of nine patients were diagnosed at a median of 16 years (range, 2-24 years) after surgery. Eight patients presented with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and one patient presented with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE). All eight HCC patients had a recurrence of the initial disease that had caused liver failure before transplantation. This was associated with viral reinfection with either HCV or HBV in seven cases. Of the nine patients, three underwent surgical resection and only one patient was alive at data abstraction.

CONCLUSION

Intrahepatic de novo neoplasms in the liver graft need to be considered in the long-term follow-up of liver recipients and were strongly associated with recurrent viral hepatitis in our study. Although prognosis of this rare complication is generally poor, patients may benefit from surgical resection of localized disease.

The Hepatic Lymphatic Vascular System: Structure, Function, Markers, and Lymphangiogenesis

The lymphatic vascular system has been minimally explored in the liver despite its essential functions including maintenance of tissue fluid homeostasis. The discovery of specific markers for lymphatic endothelial cells has advanced the study of lymphatics by methods including imaging, cell isolation, and transgenic animal models and has resulted in rapid progress in lymphatic vascular research during the last decade. These studies have yielded concrete evidence that lymphatic vessel dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. This article reviews the current knowledge of the structure, function, and markers of the hepatic lymphatic vascular system as well as factors associated with hepatic lymphangiogenesis and compares liver lymphatics with those in other tissues.