Spontaneous regression of a large hepatocellular carcinoma with skull metastasis.
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.
Nam
Soon Woo
SW
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Han
Joon-Yeol
JY
Kim
Jin Il
JI
Park
Soo Heon
SH
Cho
Se Hyun
SH
Han
Nam Ik
NI
Yang
Jin Mo
JM
Kim
Jae Kwang
JK
Choi
Sang Wook
SW
Lee
Young Suk
YS
Chung
Kyu Won
KW
Sun
Hee Sik
HS
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