Cutaneous metastasis of occult hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.
BACKGROUND
Skin metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represented only 0.8% of all known cutaneous metastases in a recent large series. The most frequent site appears to be the head, but this fact has received little attention. An accurate cytologic diagnosis is extremely difficult in patients with unknown liver dysfunction. We report the cytologic features of a face metastasis from occult HCC.


METHODS
A 65-year-old woman presented with a mass in the right preauricular region of 2 months' duration. Her past medical history was noncontributory. Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed. Following the cytologic diagnosis, computed tomography revealed a 6-cm mass in the right lobe of the liver, portal vein thrombosis and involvement of the superior vena cava. The smears were very cellular. The most frequent pattern was trabecular with transmural endothelization. The cells had an epithelial appearance and polyhedral shape, exhibiting distinct borders. The nuclei were centrally placed, with a prominent nucleolus. The cytoplasm was granular. There were numerous atypical bare nuclei. Subsequent staining with antihepatocyte showed positivity in most tumor cells. The final diagnosis was metastatic HCC.


CONCLUSIONS
HCCs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of carcinomas metastatic to the face, even in the absence of liver symptoms.
de Agustín
Pedro
P
Department of Pathology, "12 de Octubre" University Hospital, Madrid, Spain. pagustin.hdoc@salud.madrid.org
Conde
Esther
E
Alberti
Nuria
N
Pérez-Barrios
Andrés
A
López-Ríos
Fernando
F
D000368:Aged; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed