Journal of Liver Cancer

YK Chun

1 Article

A case of hepatocellular carcinoma presented with bone metastasis: EJ Kang, SW Jeong, JY Jang, SH Lee, SG Kim, YK Chun, YS Kim, YD Cho, HS Kim, BS Kim; Journal of the Korean Liver Cancer Study Group. 2010;10(1):69-72. Published online June 30, 2010

Abstract PDF: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide in terms of incidence. The majority of tumors are diagnosed when advanced. The long-term prognosis of HCC remains poor, with a 5-year survival rate of <5%. However, recent progress in the treatment of HCC has made it possible for the patient to survive longer, and as a result, distant metastasis from HCC, including bone metastasis has increased and attracted more attention than before. Of the various metastatic sites, the most common site is the lungs, followed by the lymph nodes and bone. The most frequent sites of bone metastasis are the spine, pelvis and rib in that order. Single bone lesion was associated with a favorable outcome, while multiple bone lesions may be associated with severe pain and increasing rate of leucopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia, sometimes making radiotherapy administration difficult. The incidence of bone metastasis in HCC is low. Moreover HCC diagnosed with bone metastasis is very rare. We report a patient who present with bone metastasis before the diagnosis of a primary cancer.