Multiple hepatocellular adenomas associated with long-term administration of androgenic steroids for aplastic anemia: A case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION: Anabolic steroids are widely administered to patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and are associated with numerous medical complications. To assist with future diagnoses, we report about a young boy with multiple hepatocellular adenomas (HAs) induced by long-term use of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) for AA and present a related literature review. PATIENT CONCERN: A 15-year-old boy who was diagnosed with AA in 2011 had been treated with stanozolol (6 mg per day) and ciclosporin A (120–150 mg per day) for almost 4 years. He presented with epigastric pain and fever, and abdominal computed tomography showed a lesion of heterogenous density measuring 13.5 × 13.0 × 8.0 cm in the left hepatic lobe, which was initially misdiagnosed as a liver abscess. DIAGNOSIS: The patient went into hemorrhagic shock twice after invasive manipulation that aimed at diagnosis and was finally diagnosed with HA using fine needle aspiration. INTERVENTIONS: The patient discontinued AAS and only reserved ciclosporin A for AA treatment. OUTCOMES: Follow-up abdominal computed tomography performed 4 years after AAS discontinuation showed obvious regression of the hepatic lesions. CONCLUSION: It is of great importance for hematologists to completely understand that the long-term use of AAS may cause HA, which carries a great risk of hemorrhage and malignant transformation.