Orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma: report of 6 cases

A series of 6 consecutive cases of orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were reported in the last 5 years. All patients were men. The age of patients ranged between 47 and 70 years. Four patients presented with recent onset of unilateral proptosis, 1 patient presented with inflammatory manifestations, and 1 patient presented with unilateral ptosis. Pain was present in 4 patients. Three patients had a previous history of HCC, while the orbital affection was the first manifestation of the disease in 3 cases. All patients had chronic hepatitis C. CT scan of 5 patients showed a mass in upper lateral orbital quadrant, and 1 patient had the mass in the upper central orbit. Bone changes (thinning, notching, or erosion) were detected in all patients. Diagnosis was confirmed by incision biopsy in all cases. Life span of 5 patients in the study had a mean of 10.2 (±2.3) months.