Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of liver. Clinicopathological correlation of 10 cases treated by orthotopic liver transplantation.

We present a review of the clinicopathologic features of a series of 10 patients with hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma treated by orthotopic liver transplantation. This tumor has an unpredictable prognosis. Morphological features predictive of biological behavior were not identified in these patients. It appears that metastatic spread at the time of surgery is not a significant contraindication to surgery and has no correlation with survival. Nine patients are alive (5-134 months), five disease free and four with tumor. The etiology of this tumor is unknown. However, there is an association of oral contraceptive use with this tumor in four (66%) of the six female patients in this series and in 37% of such reported cases.