Development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with autoimmune liver disease is less common than in those with other types of chronic liver disease. Here we report a rare case of overlap syndrome consisting of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) that was subsequently complicated with HCC. A 72-year-old man was initially diagnosed as being in the cirrhotic stage of AIH on the basis of blood chemistry tests and histological examinations. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiography 20 months later showed diffuse stricturing of the intrahepatic bile duct with dilatation of the areas between the strictures, compatible with the findings of PSC, which resulted in a diagnosis of AIH/PSC overlap syndrome. The level of serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist II increased 22 months later, and HCC was diagnosed by radiological examinations. Four cycles of transarterial infusion therapy with cisplatin were performed, but the patient died one year later. Sequential overlap of PSC may have played a part in accelerating AIH disease progression, leading to the development of HCC in this patient. Therefore, HCC surveillance may be important in advanced stages of autoimmune disease, especially in the cirrhotic stage.
Keywords: Autoimmune hepatitis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Overlap syndrome; Primary sclerosing cholangitis.