Basaloid squamous carcinoma in the liver

This report concerns a 46-year-old female who presented with 3 months of ab dominal pain and underwent a right hemihepatectomy for a 27 x 25 x 15 cm, c entrally necrotic tumor that showed histological, immunohistochemical and u ltrastructural features typical of a basaloid squamous carcinoma (BSC). A p rimary tumor at another site was not diagnosed and she died of disease 2 ye ars later after several intraabdominal recurrences. The entity of BSC was f irst described in 1986 and is a rare, poorly differentiated variant of squa mous cell carcinoma occurring in various sites including the upper aerodige stive tract, esophagus, lung, anus, cervix and thymus. It has never been re ported arising in the liver. It has characteristic histological, immunohist ochemical and ultrastructural features and is associated with a poor progno sis. Whilst no other primary tumor was diagnosed, it is not possible to sub stantiate that this is a primary hepatic tumor in the absence of an autopsy examination to exclude an occult malignancy in another site.