Hepatocellular Cancer Metastatic to the Zygoma: Primary Resection and Immediate Reconstruction

• Published in: Ear, nose, & throat journal Vol. 81; no. 1; pp. 57 - 58
• Main Authors: Neff, Brian A., Pribitkin, Edmund A., Willcox, Thomas O.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2002; Medquest Communications; Sage Publications, Inc; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy, Needle; Bone Neoplasms - secondary; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Cancer; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - secondary; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular - surgery; Follow-Up Studies; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Humans; Liver cancer; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Liver Neoplasms - surgery; Liver Transplantation; Male; Medical sciences; Metastasis; Middle Aged; Oncology, Experimental; Otorhinolaryngology (head neck, general aspects and miscellaneous); Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures; Risk Assessment; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the upper aerodigestive tract; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Zygoma; United States; Human; High resolution; Radiodiagnosis; Plastic surgery; Hepatic disease; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Male; Surgical resection; Anatomical reconstruction; Malignant tumor; Metastasis; Case study; Treatment; Surgery; Zygomatic arch; Digestive diseases; Medical imagery; ENT disease; Adult; Early; Computerized axial tomography; Diagnosis
• ISSN: 0145-5613; 1942-7522
• DOI: 10.1177/014556130208100118

Hepatocellular carcinoma is common worldwide but relatively rare in the United States, where only 13,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Metastasis to osseous structures in the head and neck are extremely rare; when they do occur, most appear as oral cavity masses secondary to mandibular and maxillary involvement. We report the case of an isolated zygomatic metastasis in a patient who had been previously treated for hepatocellular carcinoma with orthotopic liver transplantation. The patient underwent a complete excision of the mass followed by immediate reconstruction of the zygomaxillary buttress and the orbital rim and floor. To our knowledge, only one other case similar to ours has been previously reported; in that instance, the metastatic tumor was not resectable.