title: Hepatocellular carcinoma with polymyositis as an initial symptom: a case report.
abstract: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma may manifest paraneoplastic syndromes such as hypercholesterolaemia, hypoglycaemia, hypercalcaemia and erythrocytosis. An exceptional case of hepatocellular carcinoma associated with polymyositis, a rheumatic paraneoplastic syndrome, is reported. A 72-year-old male complained for a recent muscular weakness mainly in the proximal limb muscles. The clinical course, a raised level of serum creatine kinase and electromyographic findings suggested polymyositis, and the pathological findings on muscle biopsy were compatible with this diagnosis. Computed tomography of the upper abdomen revealed a mass lesion in segment IV, V and VII of the liver, and alpha foetoprotein level was high, resulting in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, Hôpital Charles Nicolle, Tunis, Tunisia. tekayarawdha@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tekaya
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abdelghni
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abdelmoula
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ben Hadj Yahia
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chaabouni
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zouari
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D010257:Paraneoplastic Syndromes / Q000209:etiology*; D017285:Polymyositis / Q000209:etiology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins