Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma with associated spinal cord compression

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare occurrence in the United States. The prognosis is poor, with a survival time of months from the time of diagnosis. This article reports a case of myelopathy that developed from metastases in a patient with no significant medical history. The patient was treated with decompressive laminectomy followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. A review of the literature demonstrated that most cases from hepatocellular carcinoma metastasizing to the spinal cord involve either the thoracic or lumbar levels and arise from the right liver lobe or both lobes. Major risk factors included positive hepatitis B virus serologies. This article also discusses current trends in management of epidural spinal cord compression. Although treatment with chemotherapy has not shown any benefit, surgical management has been shown to decrease morbidity and mortality in some patients.