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Published on: August 30, 2019
Skull Metastasis from the Liver: Case Report and Literature Review
Shuo Han1, Xiao-Hua Zhang1, Tao Lv1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Background:
Calvarial metastasis from liver cirrhosis in the absence of a primary focus is exceptionally rare. Few reports of metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma of an unknown primary focus have been published.
Case Description:
A 66-year-old man with a history of Schistosoma japonicum infection presented to our hospital with a mass over the left occipital region associated with headache and dizziness. Imaging revealed a 6 × 5-cm lesion supplied principally by the left occipital artery. The metastatic tumor was removed via super-selective embolization and craniotomy. Pathology revealed that circulating tumor cells from the liver had metastasized to the calvaria. Postoperatively, no primary foci was found over 9 months of follow-up.
Conclusions:
A calvarial mass may be an initial manifestation of hepatocellular carcinoma. Early diagnosis is important. A calvarial metastasis from the liver, although very rare, should be included in the differential diagnosis of a patient with both cirrhosis and skull mass.
