A case report of metachronous hepatocellular carcinoma and early esophageal cancer

Abstract

We report a case of double cancer of the liver and esophagus, an extremely rare condition that can be very difficult to treat. A tumorous lesion was pointed out in segment 6 of the liver of a 69-year-old man under treatment for liver cirrhosis. Abdominal computed tomography and angiography revealed a hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent transcatheter arterial embolization and partial resection of segments 5 and 6. Fourteen months later, a small elevated lesion was detected in the esophagus during an endoscopic examination. The patient was treated by endoscopic mucosal resection and radiation therapy at a total dose of 50 Gy. Histological examination revealed a squamous cell carcinoma with cancer cells confined within the epithelium of the esophagus. Over the 6 years since the hepatectomy, there have been no signs of recurrence. We report a successful curative resection in an extremely rare form of double cancer with a poor prognosis.