Solitary Extrahepatic Intramuscular Metastasis from Cryptogenic Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Although hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after curative resection is not uncommon, it primarily recurs in the liver prior to metastatic progression. We report a case of resected pT2N0 cryptogenic HCC that recurred in the superior paracervical musculature without evident intrahepatic recurrence. The patient also developed cervical spine instability requiring urgent neurosurgery. Cryptogenic HCC is thought to arise from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease even without cirrhosis. Unfortunately, it also portends a worse prognosis compared to HCC of other etiologies. This highlights the aggressive behavior of cryptogenic HCC, which warrants further research as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease becomes increasingly common.