Spontaneous regression of a metastatic liver tumor: report of a case.
A 60-year-old man, who suffered from advanced rectal cancer accompanied with liver metastasis, underwent an abdominoperineal resection and a partial hepatectomy. He remained well until 4 months after surgery when he developed a biopsy-proven recurrent intrapelvic mass and multiple liver tumors. At 6 months after surgery, the metastatic liver tumors grew larger and almost completely occupied both lobes of the liver. However, 9 months after surgery, the liver tumors regressed remarkably and his clinical condition improved without any specific treatment for cancer. Although he died of cancerous peritonitis 18 months after surgery, the autopsy findings did not indicate any apparent regrowth of the liver tumors. To date, only one case report of a spontaneous regression of a metastatic liver tumor from colorectal cancer has been published in the English literature. We herein describe this rare case and discuss some of the reasons potentially responsible for the regression.
Second Department of Surgery, Mie University Medical School, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu 514-8507, Japan.
Shin-Ichi
S
Ikuta
Chikao
C
Miki
Eiji
E
Ookura
Hitoshi
H
Tonouchi
Masato
M
Kusunoki
D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed