Clinical features and imaging diagnosis of biliary cystadenocarcinoma of the liver.

Biliary cystadenocarcinoma of the liver is a relatively rare disease. Herein, we reported a case of biliary cystadenocarcinoma with a review of the literature. A 71-year-old female was admitted with the chief complaint of epigastralgia. The imaging studies revealed a biliary cystadenocarcinoma in the left hepatic lobe with suspicion of direct invasion to the left and middle hepatic veins and inferior vena cava. However, there was no direct invasion of the tumor to these veins in operation findings, and an extended left hepatic resection was performed without resection of inferior vena cava. The tumor was histologically diagnosed as biliary cystadenocarcinoma of the liver. Diagnosis of biliary cystadenocarcinoma is usually difficult preoperatively, however, a diagnosis was possible with the use of imaging studies. It was suggested that this tumor originated from a benign cystadenoma because of the existence of a transitional zone between normal cells and atypical cells in the cystic wall. Systematic hepatectomy was recommended as the initial treatment in consideration of the features of cystadenocarcinoma.