title: Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma repeated 3 times with invasion of portal vein and inferior vena cava: report on a rare case.
abstract: A 65-year-old man suffered from advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the right lobe of the liver, for which he received no treatment. His serum was positive for hepatitis C antibody. In spite of his poor prognosis, he remained in good clinical condition and at 6-month follow-up the tumor had regressed without specific treatment, as assessed both radiologically and from a decrease of a previously elevated serum tumor marker level (1st regression). The tumor regrew in size, but at 23-month follow-up could no longer be visualized radiologically (2nd regression). A follow-up computed tomography (CT) scan did not show any relapse of hepatocellular carcinoma until March 2005. At that time, a new lesion had developed in the caudate lobe and tumor size had increased to ≥10 cm in diameter, and in June 2006 had invaded the portal vein and inferior vena cava. Afterwards, the tumor lesion gradually decreased again. In June 2007, a CT scan showed a further reduction of tumor size (3rd regression). Here, we report a rare case of spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma in which spontaneous regression and recurrence were repeated 3 times.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan. h-komatsu-md@nifty.com.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Komatsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsunoda
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Imai
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagakubo
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morohoshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, 56 Okazawa-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 240-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuriko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujita
keywords: Hepatitis C virus; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Spontaneous regression; Tumor marker