Liver Tumors in Children

Abstract

Liver tumors are uncommon in the pediatric age group and constitute around 1–2 % of all childhood tumors. Pediatric liver tumors have characteristic pathology, which is very rarely seen in adults. There is also a distinct correlation between the type of liver tumor and the age at presentation. Overall, hepatoblastoma is the most common childhood liver tumor. Hepatocellular carcinoma among the malignant tumors and hemangioma among the benign tumors are the other common types. Management of childhood liver tumors is challenging as most tumors present at an advanced stage rendering adult-based liver tumor protocols impractical. Collective efforts by clinicians across the world have helped us in gaining a better understanding of their behavior and have led to significant improvement in outcomes. This is nowhere else more evident than in the case of hepatoblastoma where long-term survival of over 70 % is now routinely achieved. This chapter reviews the types of benign and malignant liver tumors in the childhood, with emphasis on the clinical management of hepatoblastoma.