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[Solitary hyoid bone metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma treated with surgery]
Hiroyoshi Iguchi1, Yukihiko Okabe, Masahiro Takayama
1Department of Otolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine.
Insights
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) rarely metastasizes to the hyoid bone. This case highlights successful surgical removal of a solitary hyoid bone metastasis, relieving patient pain.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence is rising, with increasing reports of bone metastasis.
- Metastasis to the hyoid bone from HCC is exceptionally rare.
Observation:
- An 81-year-old male presented with a painful neck mass, diagnosed as poorly differentiated carcinoma via fine needle aspiration.
- PET-CT revealed a destructive mass on the hyoid bone, consistent with metastatic HCC given his history.
Findings:
- A solitary metastatic HCC lesion to the hyoid bone was confirmed post-operatively after surgical resection.
- The patient experienced immediate pain relief following the minimally invasive surgical procedure.
Implications:
- Minimally invasive surgery offers effective pain management for select patients with bone metastasis from HCC.
- This case underscores the importance of considering rare metastatic sites in HCC management.
Abstract:
The incidence of bone metastasis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has reportedly been increasing. The hyoid bone is rarely a target of metastatic HCC. We present a unique case of HCC which showed a single distant metastasis to the hyoid bone. An 81-year-old Japanese man was referred to us from the Department of Gastroenterology complaining of a 1-month history of a painful left neck mass when swallowing. He had a serial history of non-surgical treatments for HCC in the previous six years. Ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology yielded a diagnosis of poorly differentiated carcinoma. PET-CT demonstrated a mass (SUV 3.8) which had destroyed the left side of the hyoid body. Based on these cytological and radiological findings of the mass in addition to his medical history of having recurrent HCC, we strongly suspected that the mass was a solitary metastatic HCC of the hyoid bone. The mass was completely resected combined with the hyoid bone under general anesthesia. Postoperative pathologic findings were consistent with metastatic HCC. The patient was relieved from pain in swallowing just after surgery. Minimally invasive surgery can be an effective treatment modality for pain relief even in patients with bone metastasis from HCC.
