A rare case of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasizing hematogenously to the rectum

Metastasis to the gastrointestinal tract from hepatocellular carcinoma is uncommon. Herein, we report a rare case of with a metastatic lesion in the rectum, which resembled a primary rectal cancer. An 82-year-old Japanese woman, who had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma due to chronic hepatitis C, was admitted for further examination of bloody stool. She had undergone radiofrequency ablation twice and transarterial chemoembolization twice before the admission. A colonoscopy revealed a protruding rectal tumor, which was confirmed by biopsy to be poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Meanwhile multiple liver recurrences were recognized by an abdominal computed tomography scan. To improve her symptoms and resume the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, laparoscopic anterior resection of the rectum was performed to remove the primary rectal cancer. To our surprise, detailed histological examination confirmed that the rectal tumor was a metastatic lesion from the hepatocellular carcinoma.