title: Resection of liver metastasis from alpha-fetoprotein-producing early gastric cancer: report of a case.
abstract: We herein present a case of resected synchronous solitary liver metastasis from alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing early gastric cancer. A 61-year-old woman, who was diagnosed at a routine medical checkup as having early gastric cancer with a liver tumor, came to our hospital for surgery. Her serum AFP level was high at 910 ng/ml. An examination was performed to determine whether the liver tumor was primary hepatocellular carcinoma or metastasis from early gastric cancer. She had no evidence of either a hepatitis B or C virus infection, and her liver function was normal. A biopsy specimen from the gastric cancer predominantly revealed moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, but a focally trabecular pattern compatible with AFP-producing gastric cancer was also observed. Preoperatively, it was concluded that the liver tumor was metastasis from an AFP-producing early gastric cancer. We thus performed distal gastrectomy and a posterior segmentectomy of the liver. Her serum AFP level decreased to the normal range within 2 weeks after the operation. An immunohistological examination revealed that AFP-positive cells were present in both the gastric cancer and liver tumor. One year after the operation, there was no sign of recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Chiba Cancer Center, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsurumachi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jingu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Satomi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins