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Liver Tumors in Children

^aDepartment of Pediatrics and ^bDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas; ^cDepartment of Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Key Words. Pediatric cancer • Liver tumor • Hepatoblastoma

Correspondence: Correspondence: Gail E. Tomlinson, M.D., Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA. Telephone: 210-562-9001; Fax: 210-562-9014; e-mail: tomlinsong{at}uthscsa.edu

Received January 14, 2008; accepted for publication April 5, 2008.

ABSTRACT

Malignant liver tumors account for slightly >1% of all pediatric malignancies, with roughly 150 new cases of liver tumors diagnosed in the U.S. annually. The embryonal tumor, hepatoblastoma, accounts for two thirds of malignant liver tumors in children. Other liver malignancies in children include hepatocellular carcinoma, sarcomas, germ cell tumors, and rhabdoid tumors. Benign tumors of the liver in children include vascular tumors, hamartomas, and adenomas. There is an apparent increase in the incidence of hepatoblastoma with perinatal exposures and decreased premature infant mortality as postulated causes for this increased risk. The known causes and associations of liver tumors in children as well as the approaches to diagnosis and treatment of children are discussed in this review article.