A 66-year-old female patient was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by neuropathic pain induced by a metastatic tumor that compromised root and spinal canal. Although her pain was relieved following medical treatment, breakthrough pain occurring 1-2 times a day was still distressing. Neuropathic pain in her right lower limb caused discomfort and irritability and decreased her quality of life. We had limited options to adjust her prescription drug regime, due to the side effect of these drugs. Although acupuncture therapy was only performed at her home once a week, the efficacy was outstanding. The patient did not report any further instances of breakthrough pain, and she did not require additional bolus morphine. She could comfortably live in her familiar surroundings with her family and did not require any emergency room visits or admission into the hospital during the last month of her life. She had excellent quality of life in the terminal period of her life, and could even participate in a family function during this time. The present case report suggests that acupuncture may have a role in treating neuropathic pain induced by bone metastasis in patients with advanced cancer across clinical and in-home settings.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Aged ; Bone Neoplasms ; complications ; secondary ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Female ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Neoplasms ; pathology ; Neuralgia ; etiology ; therapy ; Quality of Life

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing rapidly with the obesity and diabetes mellitus epidemics. It is rapidly becoming the most common cause of liver disease worldwide. NAFLD can progress to serious complications such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and death. Therefore, it is important to recognise this condition so that early intervention can be implemented. Lifestyle modifications and strict control of metabolic risk factors are the mainstay of treatment. As disease progression is slow in the majority of NAFLD patients, most can be managed well by primary care physicians. NAFLD patients with advanced liver fibrosis should be referred to specialist care for further assessment.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Diet ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Life Style ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Metabolic Syndrome ; complications ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Obesity ; complications ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features, diagnostic and therapeutic methods of primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma.

METHODSThe clinicopathological data of fourteen patients with primary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinoma confirmed by pathology were analyzed retrospectively and related literatures were reviewed.

RESULTSThe fourteen patients, including eight males and six females, had an age range of 23-58 years (mean 45.9 years). Four tumors were located in the right liver lobe, four in the left liver lobe and six in both. The clinical manifestations were nonspecific and variable. The most common clinical manifestation was abdominal distention or right upper quadrant pain. Radiological findings were not specific and could not distinguish primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor from hepatocellular carcinoma. Diagnosis of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumor was confirmed by pathology using immunohistochemical staining and by the absence of extrahepatic primary lesions. Extrahepatic primary neuroendocrine carcinoma was ruled out by ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), preoperative gastrointestinal endoscopy and long-term postoperative follow up. Three patients received surgical treatment, two cases received surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), six patients received transarterial chemoembolization, one case received orthotopic liver transplantation, one case only received exploratory laparotomy, and one case received chemotherapy. All 14 patients were followed up and seven of them are still alive, the others died of liver failure or recurrence.

CONCLUSIONSPrimary hepatic neuroendocrine carcinomas are extremely rare. Its diagnosis should be confirmed by pathology. Preoperative fine needle biopsy is strongly recommended. Prognosis is relatively favorable. Surgical resection is treatment of first choice, and TACE, RFA, and chemotherapy can be used for unresectable patients.

Adult ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Catheter Ablation ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Neoplasms ; complications ; pathology ; therapy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Hepatoblastoma usually occurs in children under the age of 2 years, with very few cases reported in adults. We experienced a case of adult hepatoblastoma in a 36-year-old female with chronic hepatitis B . She had experienced sudden onset abdominal pain. Her serum alpha-fetoprotein level was markedly elevated, and abdominal CT showed a 9-cm mass with internal hemorrhage in the right hepatic lobe with hemoperitoneum, so an emergency hepatic central bisectionectomy was performed. The initial histologic examination revealed that the mass mimicked combined hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma with spindle-cell metaplasia of the cholangiocarcinoma element. Follow-up abdominal CT performed 3 months later showed a 5.5-cm metastatic mass in the left subphrenic area. Laparoscopic splenectomy with mass excision was performed, and hepatoblastoma was confirmed histologically. A histologic re-examination of previously obtained surgical specimens also confirmed the presence of hepatoblastoma. Metastatic hepatoblastoma was found at multiple sites of the abdomen during follow-up, and so chemotherapy with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and vincristine was applied, followed by carboplatin and doxorubicin . Despite surgery and postoperative chemotherapy, she died 12 months after symptom onset.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology ; Cholangiocarcinoma/pathology ; Cisplatin/therapeutic use ; Diagnostic Errors ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/complications/diagnosis ; Hepatoblastoma/drug therapy/*pathology/radiography ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy/*pathology/radiography ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vincristine/therapeutic use

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Sorafenib is currently the sole molecular targeted agent that improves overall survival in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Despite the efficacy of sorafenib, the response rate varies in patients with advanced HCC. We retrospectively analyzed a series of Korean patients with advanced HCC with complete remission (CR) after sorafenib therapy. METHODS: In total, 523 patients with advanced HCC were treated with sorafenib in 3 large tertiary referral hospitals in Korea. A survey was conducted to collect data on patients who experienced CR after sorafenib monotherapy, and their medical records and follow-up data were analyzed. The tumor response and recurrence rates were assessed by radiologic study, based on modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors. RESULTS: Seven patients with advanced HCC experienced CR after sorafenib therapy. The median time to tumor disappearance and the median disease-free survival time were 3 months and 9 months, respectively. HCC recurrence was identified in three cases (42.9%). Of these, two patients discontinued sorafenib before or after achieving CR and the other patient continued sorafenib after achieving CR. HCC recurred at 3, 10, and 42 months after CR in these three patients. Three patients needed dose reduction for toxicity and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Though CR was achieved after sorafenib therapy in patients with advanced HCC, the recurrence rate was relatively high. Subsequent strategies to reduce a chance of recurrence after sorafenib therapy are required to investigate.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor/analysis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*drug therapy/pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/complications/pathology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Niacinamide/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Phenylurea Compounds/*therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; alpha-Fetoproteins/analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The goal of this study was to estimate the growth rate of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and identify the host factors that significantly affect this rate. METHODS: Patients with early-stage HCC (n=175) who underwent two or more serial dynamic imaging studies without any anticancer treatment at two tertiary care hospitals in Korea were identified. For each patient, the tumor volume doubling time (TVDT) of HCC was calculated by comparing tumor volumes between serial imaging studies. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical records of the patients. RESULTS: The median TVDT was 85.7 days, with a range of 11 to 851.2 days. Multiple linear regression revealed that the initial tumor diameter (a tumor factor) and the etiology of chronic liver disease (a host factor) were significantly associated with the TVDT. The TVDT was shorter when the initial tumor diameter was smaller, and was shorter in HCC related to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection than in HCC related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (median, 76.8 days vs. 137.2 days; P=0.0234). CONCLUSIONS: The etiology of chronic liver disease is a host factor that may significantly affect the growth rate of early-stage HCC, since HBV-associated HCC grows faster than HCV-associated HCC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications/*pathology/radiography ; Demography ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*complications/drug therapy ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*complications/drug therapy ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/*pathology/radiography ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Adult ; Budd-Chiari Syndrome/complications/*pathology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Liver Transplantation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Despite advances in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), managing HCC with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) remains challenging. PVT is present in 10-40% of HCC cases at the time of diagnosis and its therapeutic options are very limited. Current guidelines mainly recommend sorafenib for advanced HCC with PVT, but surgery, transarterial chemoemolization, external radiation therapy, radioembolization, transarterial infusion chemotherapy, and combination therapy are also still used. Furthermore, several new emerging therapies such as the administration of immunotherapeutic agents and oncolytic viruses are under investigation. This comprehensive literature review presents current and future management options with their relative advantages and disadvantages and summary data on overall survival.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/*pathology/therapy ; Niacinamide/administration & dosage/analogs & derivatives ; Phenylurea Compounds/administration & dosage ; Portal Vein ; Protein Kinase Inhibitors/administration & dosage ; Venous Thrombosis/complications/*pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated factors associated with the disease progression and development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients during long-term oral nucleos(t)ide analog (NA) therapy. METHODS: This retrospective study included 524 naive CHB patients who received oral NA therapy for more than 48 weeks between January 2003 and December 2007. The primary outcome was 5-year cumulative probability of disease progression and HCC development. Disease progression was defined as cirrhosis development, cirrhotic complications, HCC or liver-related mortality. RESULTS: For the 524 patients, the cumulative probabilities of disease progression and HCC development at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years were 1.1%, 6.3%, 9.0%, 11.6%, and 16.2% and 0.2%, 1.8%, 3.6%, 5.8%, and 9.3%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, age >50 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.05) and cirrhosis (HR, 2.95) were significant factors for disease progression. Similarly, age >50 years (HR, 1.05), family history of HCC (HR, 5.48), and cirrhosis (HR, 17.16) were significant factors for HCC development. Importantly, longer duration (>12 months) of maintained virological response (<20 IU/mL) reduced the risks of disease progression (HR, 0.19) and HCC development (HR, 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Longer duration of maintained virological response significantly reduces the risk of disease progression or HCC development in CHB patients undergoing long-term oral NA therapy.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Antiviral Agents/*administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/epidemiology/etiology ; *Disease Progression ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/complications/*drug therapy/*pathology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/epidemiology/etiology ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology/etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Time

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of spleen lymphocytes on the splenomegaly by hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mouse model.

METHODSCell counts, cell cycle distribution, the percentage of lymphocytes subsets and the levels of IL-2 were measured, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to investigate the relationship between spleen lymphocytes and splenomegaly in hepatocellular carcinoma-bearing mice.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the thymus was obviously atrophied and the spleen was significantly enlarged in the tumor-bearing group. Correlation study showed that the number of whole spleen cells was positively correlated with the splenic index. The cell diameter and cell-cycle phase distribution of splenocytes in the tumor-bearing group showed no significant difference compared to the normal group. The percentage of CD3+ T lymphocytes and CD8+ T lymphocytes in spleen and peripheral blood of tumor-bearing mice were substantially higher than that in the normal mice. Meanwhile, the IL-2 level was also higher in the tumor-bearing group than in the normal group. Furthermore, two dysregulated protein, β-actin and S100-A9 were identified in spleen lymphocytes from H22-bearing mice, which were closely related to cellular motility.

CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that dysregulated β-actin and S100-A9 can result in recirculating T lymphocytes trapped in the spleen, which may explain the underlying cause of splenomegaly in H22-bearing mice.

Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; complications ; Cell Cycle ; Female ; Liver Neoplasms ; complications ; Lymphocytes ; physiology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Neoplasms, Experimental ; therapy ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Spleen ; cytology ; pathology ; Splenomegaly ; etiology ; therapy ; Thymus Gland