Unusual relapse of hepatocellular carcinoma

The authors report a patient with iatrogenic dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A 65-year-old Caucasian man was found to have a moderately well-differentiated HCC diagnosed by laparoscopy and biopsy; the patient had atypical left liver lobe resection. Thirty-three months after definitive surgery a double relapse was found at the site of the previous laparoscopy and at the surgical scar; no other metastases were found. Surgical procedure for removal of these lesions was performed, and the patient received complementary radiation therapy. At 30 months of follow-up, the patient is alive and disease free. The risk of neoplastic seeding through biopsy and improved safety in surgical techniques justify the omission of diagnostic biopsy in patients who have surgical procedures.