Solitary pulmonary metastasis arising thirteen years after liver transplantation for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma

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. © 2006 The WJG Press. All rights reserved.