title: Diffuse liver metastasis of small cell lung cancer causing marked hepatomegaly and fulminant hepatic failure.
abstract: A 62-year-old female was admitted for examination of an abnormal liver function. Plain CT and MRI of the abdomen showed marked hepatomegaly but no visible nodular lesion in the liver. On the 3rd hospital day she had hepatic encephalopathy and was treated with a course of high-dose steroids, but ultimately died of disease progression on the 7th hospital day. An autopsy revealed a small pulmonary nodule with the histological findings showing small cell carcinoma. There was almost complete parenchymal replacement with metastatic tumor in the liver. Neoplastic involvement of the liver should be considered in the differential diagnosis of fulminant hepatic failure of unknown etiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan. miyaaki-hi@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hisamitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyaaki
authors.forename: Tatsuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Naota
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taura
authors.forename: Mio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamashima
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Obata
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Furusu
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakao
mesh_terms: D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D017114:Liver Failure, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis*