A simple hepatic cyst with elevated serum and cyst fluid CA19-9 levels: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Simple hepatic cysts rarely cause symptoms, however, occasionally they become symptomatic due to mass effect, rupture, hemorrhage, and infection. We report a patient with a large hepatic cyst with elevated serum and cyst fluid CA19-9 levels. We studied serum and cyst fluid CA19-9 levels in this patient, before and after the intracystic instillation of minocycline hydrochloride. CASE PRESENTATION: A 76-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed as having an infected hepatic cyst, by physical examination and enhanced abdominal computed tomography. Serum (170 U/ml; reference: < 37 U/ml) and hepatic cyst fluid (371 U/ml) CA19-9 levels were elevated. After the intracystic instillation of minocycline hydrochloride, necrotic cells in the cyst were drained, and it totally collapsed after 1 week. Cyst fluid CA19-9 levels increased remarkably after the intracystic instillation of minocycline hydrochloride, while serum CA19-9 levels decreased significantly. CONCLUSION: Our study is the first report to reveal the influence of intracystic instillation of minocycline hydrochloride on serum and cyst fluid CA19-9 levels in a patient with a simple hepatic cyst.