Late recurrence of combined hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatoblastoma in a child: case report and review of the literature.

We report on a case of late relapse of hepatocellular carcinoma in a child suffering from combined hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, stage IV. This is a rare event, as it has been accepted that a 5-year period free of any signs of disease in children suffering from malignant hepatic tumors is sufficient to classify such patients as survivors. In our patient, recurrence of the hepatocellular carcinoma component was diagnosed more than five years after the initial diagnosis. This case illustrates the need for more prolonged follow-ups for such children.