Hepatoblastoma of the adult: A systematic review of the literature

Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant liver tumor in children. On the other hand in the adult HB is very rare and characterized by unfavorable prognosis. A review of the entire literature was performed: 58 articles and 63 cases of HB were found. The patient's data were collected and analyzed. No correlation with hepatitis virus was found and AFP was elevated in most cases. Usually HB forms a large single mass in the liver and presents aggressive behavior, with local invasiveness and metastatic spread. The current median survival time is 5 months, with a 1-year survival rate near 30%. Surgical resection is the only curative treatment. However major liver resections or extensive demolitions of the adjacent organs are necessary. There are no standardized protocols in the multimodal approach to this tumor.