Radiotherapy for mandibular metastases from hepatocellular carcinoma: a single institutional experience

A mandibular metastasis is uncommon in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We report the clinical features of this rare lesion and evaluate the effectiveness of radiotherapy in affected patients.

We retrospectively reviewed our institutional medical records for HCC patients who received radiotherapy for bone metastasis, and included cases of mandible metastasis. The clinical features of these cases, and the characteristics and outcomes of the treatments were assessed.

A total of 1,498 patients with a bone metastasis from HCC were treated with radiotherapy between July 1998 and April 2012 at our institution. We identified 9 patients (0.6%) in this cohort that received radiotherapy for a mandibular metastasis. The condyle was the most common location of mandibular metastasis. The median radiation dose was 40 Gy (range, 27.5 to 60 Gy), with a daily dose of 2-3 Gy. All of these 9 patients died during a median follow-up of 9 months (range, 1 to 19 months). Symptom relief was achieved in 7 of 8 patients who completed radiotherapy. Tumor size reduction was observed in 2 of 4 patients who underwent radiologic evaluation after radiotherapy.

Metastasis to the mandible from HCC has a poor prognosis. Radiotherapy can be an effective local treatment option for symptomatic relief in these cases.