Intussusception due to hematogenous metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma to the small intestine:A case report

BACKGROUND The commonest sites of extrahepatic metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)are the lungs,bones,adrenal glands,and regional lymph nodes.Hematogenous metastasis to the gastrointestinal(GI)tract is a rare condition in patients with HCC,and the prognosis is usually poor.We report,herein,an extremely rare case of a patient with intussusception due to hematogenous metastasis of HCC to the ileum and his long-term survival with multidisciplinary therapy.CASE SUMMARY The patient was a 71-year-old man with a history of chronic hepatitis B,who had undergone three surgeries for HCC.He was treated with sorafenib for peritoneal metastases of HCC.He was admitted to our hospital with chief complaints of abdominal pain and vomiting.Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography imaging revealed a small intestinal tumor,presenting with intussusception and small bowel obstruction.Conservative treatment was started,but due to repeated exacerbation of symptoms,surgery was planned on the 28th d of hospitalization.Partial ileal resection without reducing the intussusception and end-to-end anastomosis was performed.On histological examination,tumor cells were not observed on the serosal surface,but intravascular invasion of tumor cells was seen.Immunohistochemistry was positive for immunohistochemical markers,and a diagnosis of hematogenous metastasis of HCC to the ileum was made.He remains alive 82 mo after the first surgery.CONCLUSION Prognosis of HCC patients with GI tract metastasis is usually poor,but in some cases,multidisciplinary therapy may prolong survival.

Characteristics of Small Pancreatic Carcinoma: Neural Invasion is Associated with Tumor Recurrence

Background: Pancreatic carcinoma has a poor prognosis. It is important to focus on early detection and treatment for improvement of the prognosis. Understanding the characteristics of TS1 pancreatic carcinoma (≤2 cm) could improve the treatment outcome of pancreatic carcinoma. Methods: Among 444 patients with conventional pancreatic carcinoma who underwent surgery at our facility, the study targeted 65 (14.6%) with a histopathological diagnosis of TS1 pancreatic carcinoma. We examined 65 cases of TS1 pancreatic carcinoma in reason for hospital visit, examination findings, histopathological findings, and treatment outcomes. Results: The detection rate of TS1 pancreatic carcinoma by ultrasonography was 83.1% for visualization of the tumor mass and 96.9% for main pancreatic duct dilatation. The corresponding rates for endoscopic ultrasound were 92.9% and 100%. With regard to postoperative outcome, 43.1% of patients had a recurrence;the site of recurrence was local in 24.6% and hepatic in 9.2%. On multivariate analysis, intrapancreatic neural invasion was an independent risk factor for recurrence (odds ratio, 6.333;95% confidence interval, 1.834 - 21.872;p = 0.004). Conclusions: To screen for TS1 pancreatic carcinoma, the study first examined for main pancreatic duct dilatation by ultrasonography and then conducted a detailed examination with endoscopic ultrasound. Patients with pancreatic neural invasion require careful attention for local recurrence.