A 70-year old Japanese man with hepatitis B infection developed a 4.8-cm liver tumor in the right lobe. Computed tomographic
findings suggested hepatocellular carcinoma or combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma. After right hepatectomy, the
cut surface of the resected specimen showed a whitish tumor with indistinct borders. Microscopically, the tumor consisted
of pleomorphic, eosinophilic cells forming thickened trabeculae, suggesting hepatocellular carcinoma, and also tumor cells
forming glandular structures, suggesting adenocarcinoma. Cells comprising both the trabeculae and the glands were immunoreactive
for cytokeratin (CK) 19. In some gland-forming cells, varying immunoreactivity for CK7 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)
was observed. In the cytoplasm of cells in the thickened trabeculae, hepatocyte paraffin (HepPar) 1 and alpha-fetoprotein
(AFP) were focally reactive. Some of these tumor cells were also reactive for CK19. Accordingly, we concluded that this tumor
was a combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma whose cells had undergone divergent differentiation into hepatocytes
and biliary epithelium. Because the tumor expressed markers of both phenotypes, it may have originated from cells intermediate
between hepatocytes and biliary epithelium. A few reported cases have shown similar histologic features.
Key words Liver cancer - Bidirectional differentiation - Stem cell - Combined hepatocellular and cholangiocarcinoma