title: Spontaneous regression of a large hepatocellular carcinoma with skull metastasis.
abstract: Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare phenomenon. This case of a 65-year-old Korean man with HCC and metastatic frontal bone mass that regressed after radiotherapy for frontal bone mass without any other therapeutic modalities is described. The clinical diagnosis of HCC was made because of the presence of a liver mass on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan, high serum alpha-fetoprotein value and tissue diagnosis on frontal bone biopsy. The patient refused any other recommended treatments, but accepted the radiation therapy due to a painful frontal bone mass, and ingested mushroom called Phellinus linteus for one and a half years. Ten months after radiation therapy, he experienced a reduction in size of the frontal bone mass and improvement of lesions in the liver, sternum and ribs. The patient is alive and in good condition without any symptoms or tumor aggravation in August 2002. It was concluded that a rare case of spontaneous regression of HCC had occurred.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Soon Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Joon-Yeol
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jin Il
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soo Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Se Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Nam Ik
authors.initials: NI
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Jin Mo
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jae Kwang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Young Suk
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyu Won
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hee Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005624:Frontal Bone / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D012888:Skull Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed