Clinical characteristics of Hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung: Four case reports and literature review

Abstract

PurposeHepatoid adenocarcinoma of the lung (HAL) is a rare form of lung cancer, which is characterized by its morphologic hepatoid features. The clinical characteristics and prognosis of this rare form of lung cancer remain obscure. MethodsThe clinical courses of four cases of HAL were reported. A literature search was performed up to December 31, 2020, using the electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science. ResultsIncluding the present 4 cases, a total of 42 cases of HAL have been reported in the literature. The median age was 58.5 years old (range, 36–73 years). 36 (85.7%) patients were male. 26 (61.9%) patients had a history of smoking, the median amount of smoking was 40 pack years (range, 8–180). The most common site of the primary tumor was the right upper lobe (22 cases, 52.3%) and the left upper lobe (10 cases, 23.8%). 21 patients (50%) had pretreatment serum AFP levels higher than the upper limit, and 4 patients (9.5%) had normal pretreatment serum AFP levels. Treatment of HAL included surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), anti-angiogenesis therapy, and anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibody. Overall, the prognosis of HAL was poor, with median overall survival (OS) of 14 months. ConclusionsHAL is an aggressive tumor, with a poor prognosis and male predominance, which tends to occur in heavy smokers and affects the right upper lobe of the lung.