Hepatocellular carcinoma with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation.

An extremely unique case of a liver tumor occurring in a 70-year-old man is documented in this article. The primary tumor was well encapsulated by a thick, connective capsule and was histologically composed of two distinct elements, i.e., a common hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and a rhabdomyosarcoma. Metastasis of HCC was only seen in the left adrenal gland, whereas intrahepatic metastatic foci as well as tumor thrombi occluding the portal vein branches were composed exclusively of rhabdomyosarcoma. The possibility that the rhabdomyoblastic component might have come from the preexisting HCC by way of metaplastic proliferation is discussed.