Copyright
©2006 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 14, 2006; 12(30): 4911-4913
Published online Aug 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i30.4911
Published online Aug 14, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i30.4911
Solitary pulmonary metastasis arising thirteen years after liver transplantation for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma
Chiara Viola, Tarik Asselah, François Durand, Hamza Boudjema, Patrick Marcellin, Dominigue Valla, Service d'Hépatologie, INSERM CRB3, University of Paris VII, Hôpital, Beaujon, Clichy 92 110, France
Didier Samuel, Centre Hepatobiliary, UPRES 3541, Formation de recherche Claude Bernard Virus et Transplantation, Universite Paris-Sud, Hôpital Paul Brousse, Villejuif 94800, France
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Tarik Asselah, Service d'Hépatologie, INSERM CRB3, University of Paris VII, Hôpital, Beaujon, Clichy 92 110, France. tarikasselah@hotmail.com
Telephone: +33-1-40875338 Fax: +33-1-47309440
Received: August 11, 2004
Revised: October 11, 2004
Accepted: December 14, 2004
Published online: August 14, 2006
Revised: October 11, 2004
Accepted: December 14, 2004
Published online: August 14, 2006
Abstract
We described a 59-year-old male patient who underwent liver transplantation in 1989 for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicating hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis. In 2001 (12 years after liver transplantation), he developed a lung metastasis of HCC without intrahepatic recurrence and the resection was done. In July 2003, he was symptom free without any recurrence. HCC metastasis can develop even after a very long time of liver transplantation. Many HCCs grow slowly, and the growth rate of recurrent tumors in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapy is significantly greater than that of those who do not receive immunosuppressive therapy.
Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Liver transplantation, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Metastasis, Immuno-suppression