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

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the application of multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) in patients with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer(CLM).

METHODSClinical data of 118 patients with liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, including 32 patients with MDT (MDT group) and 86 patients without MDT (control group), from February 2014 to April 2015 in PLA General Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. Compliance of preoperative examination and adjuvant therapy, and efficacy-associated indexes were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS(1) As compared to control group, statistically significant increase in imaging examination ratio was found in MDT group: chest CT [87.5%(28/32) vs. 40.7%(35/86), P=0.0000], abdominal MRI [84.4%(27/32) vs.61.6%(53/86), P=0.019], pelvic MRI [63.7%(7/11) vs. 24.3%(8/33), P=0.017]. The preoperative assessment of TNM staging was also higher in MDT group [100%(32/32) vs. 20.9%(18/86), P=0.0000], while there was no significant difference in accuracy rate of TNM staging between the two groups [81.3%(26/32) vs. 66.7%(12/18), P=0.2465]. (2) Rates of preoperative chemotherapy and chemotherapy completion were also higher in MDT group than those in control group [90.6%(29/32) vs. 62.8%(54/86), P=0.0033; 82.8% (24/29) vs. 57.4% (31/54), P=0.000], but conversion rate of unresectable CLM showed no significant difference [24.0% (6/25) vs. 14.3% (7/49), P=0.299 ]. (3) Rate of one-stage resection or ablation was higher in MDT group compared to control group [76.9%(10/13) vs. 36.0%(9/25), P=0.038], and resection rate of metastasis nidus was also higher in MDT group [77.0%(20/26) vs. 44.9%(13/29), P=0.015]. No significant differences were observed in rates of R0 resection, positive surgical margin, lymph node clearance, ablation of metastasis nidus, pathological complete response, postoperative chemotherapy or postoperative complications (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONMDT has the advantages on standardization of preoperative examination and perioperative chemotherapy, and can improve the rate of one-stage resection or ablation, as well as resection of metastasis nidus.

Aged ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; therapy ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUND: Metastatic pathological fractures of the spine are a major problem for cancer patients; however, there is no consensus on treatment strategy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate various treatment options by analyzing their patterns for metastatic pathological fractures of the spine. METHODS: In this study, 54 patients (male:female = 36:18) who were diagnosed with metastatic pathological fractures of spine were recruited. Demographic data, origin of cancer, type of treatment, and results were obtained from electronic medical records. Treatment options were divided into radiotherapy (RT), vertebroplasty (VP) or kyphoplasty (KP), operation (OP), and other treatments. Treatment results were defined as aggravation, no response, fair response, good response, and unknown. The survival time after detection of pathologic fractures was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 62.3 years. Hepatocellular carcinoma was the most common cancer of primary origin (n = 9), followed by multiple myeloma (n = 8). RT was the most common primary choice of treatment (n = 29, 53.7%), followed by OP (n = 13, 24.1%), and VP or KP (n = 10, 18.5%). Only 13 of 29 RT cases and 7 of 13 OP cases demonstrated a fair or good response. The mean survival time following detection of pathological spinal fractures was 11.1 months for 29 patients, who died during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: RT was the most common primary choice of treatment for metastatic pathological fractures of the spine. However, the response rate was suboptimal. Although OP should be considered for the relief of mechanical back pain or neurologic symptoms, care should be taken in determining the surgical indication. VP or KP could be considered for short-term control of localized pain, although the number of cases was too small to confirm the conclusion. It is difficult to determine the superiority of the treatment modalities, hence, a common guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic pathological fractures of the spine is required.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/mortality/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma/mortality/pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fractures/etiology/mortality/*radiotherapy/*surgery ; Spinal Neoplasms/*complications/secondary ; Spine ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Colonoscopy ; Ethanol/therapeutic use ; Female ; Gallbladder Neoplasms/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction/*etiology ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/drug therapy/secondary ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo compare the short- and long-term outcomes of patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastases receiving either simultaneous or staged hepatectomy.

METHODSClinical and follow-up data of 64 patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastasis who underwent either simultaneous or staged hepatectomy between January 2003 and December 2011 in our hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Among them 20 patients underwent simultaneous resection of colorectal cancer and liver metastasis(simultaneous group) and 44 patients underwent staged operations(staged group).

RESULTSThe Clavien-Dindo grade 1, 2, 3 complication rates in simultaneous group were 10.0%, 15.0% and 15.0% respectively, and were staged group 13.6%, 13.6% and 22.7% respectively in staged group, and the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05). The 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates in simultaneous group were 85.0%, 59.6% and 37.2% respectively, compared with 90.9%, 68.2% and 47.1% in staged group, and the difference was not statistically significant(P>0.05). The median disease-free survival time in simultaneous group was 6 months versus 7 months in the staged group, which was comparable(P>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that positive primary lymph-node(P=0.020), prehepatectomy CEA>20 μg/L(P=0.017) were independent risk factors of overall survival, and having the opportunity to receive local radical therapy combined with chemotherapy after recurrence was a protective factor(P=0.001), while the timing of resection (simultaneous or staged strategy) did not reach statistical significance according to overall survival(P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSFor synchronous colorectal liver metastasis there are no significant differences in postoperative complication rate and long-term survival between curative simultaneous and staged resection.

Colorectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; surgery ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo analyze the outcomes of simultaneous liver resection for patients who have primary colorectal cancer with synchronous hepatic metastases to see if there is any advantage for doing so.

METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed the medical records (1999 - 2009) of 53 consecutive patients with synchronously recognized primary colorectal carcinoma and hepatic metastases who underwent simultaneous (40 patients) or two-stage (13 patients) colonic and hepatic resections performed at our hospital.

RESULTSThere was no thirty-day mortality in both groups. The two groups had significant differences in mean operation duration [(212.9 ± 72.3) min vs. (326.5 ± 140.2) min, P = 0.014], mean blood loss [(337.5 ± 298.0) ml vs. (594.6 ± 430.5) ml, P = 0.020], post-operative hospital stay [(16.2 ± 8.1) day vs. (25.8 ± 8.5) day, P = 0.001]. The incidence rates of post-operative complications were 25.0% (10/40) and 53.8% (7/13), respectively, in the two groups (P = 0.053). The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates in the simultaneous resection group were 95.0%, 57.0% and 37.4%, respectively, with a median overall survival of 40.0 months and median disease-free survival of 14.0 months. The 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates in the two-stage resection group were 92.3%, 58.7% and 36.7%, respectively, with a median overall survival of 38.0 months and median disease-free survival of 13.0 months. There were no significant differences between the two groups in respect of their survivals (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSimultaneous colectomy and hepatectomy are safe and efficient for colorectal cancer patients who have synchronous colorectal liver metastases, with less complications and blood loss, and shorter hospital stay compared with the two-stage resection.

Blood Loss, Surgical ; Colectomy ; methods ; Colonic Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Liver Neoplasms ; secondary ; surgery ; Male ; Operative Time ; Postoperative Complications ; Rectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*complications/*secondary/therapy ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Fatal Outcome ; Hemothorax/diagnosis/*etiology/therapy ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*complications/*pathology/therapy ; Lymph Nodes/*pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Paracentesis ; Rupture, Spontaneous ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Breast cancer is a rare disease in men. We report a case of 53-year-old obese male, with known cryptogenic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, presenting a tender mass on left breast. He was diagnosed with invasive intraductal carcinoma, which was consistent with a sporadic lesion. On the basis of previous literatures, obesity can be regarded as a cause for breast cancer even in men. However, there has been inconsistent data about link between liver cirrhosis and male breast cancer, which can be due to heterogenity in the etiology of cirrhosis. Through this case, it can be postulated that the risk for male breast cancer may vary according to the etiology of cirrhosis.
Breast Neoplasms, Male/*etiology/secondary/ultrasonography ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis/pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Estrogen/metabolism ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been used widely to treat patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. However, this method can induce various adverse events caused by necrosis of the tumor itself or damage to nontumor tissues. In particular, neurologic side effects such as cerebral infarction and paraplegia, although rare, may cause severe sequelae and permanent disability. Detailed information regarding the treatment process and prognosis associated with this procedure is not yet available. We experienced a case of paraplegia that occurred after conducting TACE through the intercostal artery to treat hepatocellular carcinoma that had metastasized to the rib. In this case, TACE was attempted to relieve severe bone pain, which had persisted even after palliative radiotherapy. A sudden impairment of sensory and motor functions after TACE developed in the trunk below the level of the sternum and in both lower extremities. The patient subsequently received steroid pulse therapy along with supportive care and continuous rehabilitation. At the time of discharge the patient had recovered sufficiently to enable him to walk by himself, although some paresthesia and spasticity remained.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms/radiography/secondary ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/diagnosis/pathology/*therapy ; Catheter Ablation ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic/*adverse effects ; Hepatitis B/complications/drug therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/etiology ; Liver Neoplasms/diagnosis/pathology/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/secondary ; Spinal Cord Injuries/*etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Facial nerve palsy due to temporal bone metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has rarely been reported. We experienced a rare case of temporal bone metastasis of HCC that initially presented as facial nerve palsy and was diagnosed by surgical biopsy. This patient also discovered for the first time that he had chronic hepatitis B and C infections due to this facial nerve palsy. Radiation therapy greatly relieved the facial pain and facial nerve palsy. This report suggests that hepatologists should consider metastatic HCC as a rare but possible cause of new-onset cranial neuropathy in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/complications/*pathology ; Facial Nerve Diseases/diagnosis/etiology ; Facial Pain/etiology ; Facial Paralysis/diagnosis/etiology ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/diagnosis ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liver Neoplasms/complications/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Skull Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/secondary ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed