Intestinal obstruction caused by colonic metastasis from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma 6?years after removal of the primary tumor: report of a case

We report a case of intestinal obstruction caused by metastasis that manifested 6 years after surgery for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). The patient, a 57-year-old man, had undergone resection of the hepatic left lobe, Spiegel lobe, and extrahepatic bile duct, following which histopathological examination had confirmed the diagnosis of ICC and that the resection margins were free from disease. There had been no signs of recurrence until an increase in the CA19-9 level was detected 6 years later. Colonoscopy revealed an ulcer-like lesion and stenosis at the level of the hepatic flexure. The patient was subsequently admitted to our hospital with abdominal pain and underwent right hemicolectomy with partial resection of hepatic segment V. Based on the immunohistological finding that the expression pattern of cytokeratins and mucins was consistent with ICC origin rather than colon cancer origin, we diagnosed colon metastasis from ICC.     

Long-term survival after resection of mass-forming type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma directly infiltrating the transverse colon and sequential brain metastasis: Report of a case

MUC1 expression in cholangiocarcinoma is considered to be correlated with patient survival. We report a case of mass-forming type intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with direct infiltration of the transverse colon and sequential brain metastasis. The patient was treated by curative right hepatectomy with right hemicolectomy followed by resection of the brain metastasis; there has been no evidence of recurrence in the 7 years since the hepatic resection. Thus, surgical resection may improve the prognosis of ICC involving the adjacent organs, even with brain metastasis. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for MUC1, MUC2, and MUC5AC. Although MUC1 expression was found in the liver tumor and metastatic brain tumor, the correlation between MUC1 expression and the prognosis of this patient was unclear. To clarify the correlation between immunohistochemical characteristics and prognosis, further studies on a greater number of cases of long-term survival of mass-forming type ICC are needed.     

Surgical Outcome and Prognostic Factors in Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: The clinicopathologic features and surgical outcome of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are not fully understood. METHODS: Fifty-six consecutive patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection at the National Cancer Center Hospital East between October 1992 and July 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas were subdivided into solitary tumors and tumors with intrahepatic metastasis. RESULTS: Complete tumor removal (R0 resection) was performed in 42 patients (75%). The 5-year survival rate for patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (n = 56), patients with a solitary tumor (n = 46), and patients with intrahepatic metastasis (n = 10) were 32, 38, and 0%, respectively. There was a significant difference in survival between patients with a solitary tumor and those with intrahepatic metastasis (p < 0.0001). The 5-year survival rate for patients with stage I (n = 3), II (n = 9), III (n = 15), and IV disease (n = 26) was 100, 67, 37, and 0%, respectively. There was a significant difference in survival between stage I and stage IV (p = 0.011), between stage II and stage IV (p = 0.0002), and between stage III and stage IV (p = 0.0015). The most frequent site of recurrence was the liver. Univariate analysis showed that intrahepatic metastasis, portal vein invasion, hepatic duct invasion, lymph node metastasis, perineural invasion, and positive surgical margin (R1) were significantly associated with poor survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that intrahepatic metastasis was a significant and independent prognostic indicator after surgical resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (p = 0.001). No patient with intrahepatic metastasis survived more than 10 months in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Intrahepatic metastasis was the strongest predictor of poor survival in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.     

Small intestinal metastasis from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: report of a case

Metastasis of the small intestine that derives from a primary hepatic neoplasm is rare. We encountered a case of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) with jejunal metastasis after resection of a primary lesion. A 61-year-old male patient was referred to us with a diagnosis of liver tumors. Partial hepatectomy was performed, and the pathological diagnosis was ICC. Seventeen months after surgery, the patient was found to have a mass in the jejunum and lymph node swelling by positron emission tomography-computed tomography. The jejunal tumor was preoperatively diagnosed as a metastasis of ICC from a biopsy specimen obtained by double balloon endoscopy, and the tumor was resected. The patient received systemic chemotherapy but succumbed with ICC recurrence 46 months after the primary surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this case is the first report of jejunal recurrence of ICC. In addition, this report suggests the usefulness of double balloon endoscopy to make the correct diagnosis of the jejunal tumor.     

Radiofrequency ablation of recurrent cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma after primary resection has traditionally been considered a contraindication to surgical management. Improvements in ablative technologies such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) offer the surgeon additional alternatives in the management of selected intrahepatic tumors. We present a case report of a single intrahepatic recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma 12 months after primary resection of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma including right lobectomy for intrahepatic extension. The patient received operative treatment and RFA of the intrahepatic lesion. RFA successfully ablated the recurrent tumor, and the patient remains free of detectable disease 10 months later. A review of literature is presented. This is the first known report of the use of RFA for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. In selected cases of primary or recurrent cholangiocarcinoma, RFA may increase the percentage of patients considered surgically treatable.     

Prognostic factors in node-negative intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with special reference to angiogenesis

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to clarify prognostic factors and recurrence patterns in patients with node-negative intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC). METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to review prognostic factors and recurrence patterns (1) in 22 patients with node-negative IHCC after curative hepatic resection and (2) in 49 patients who underwent resection and lymph node dissection for IHCC. In addition to determining the clinicopathologic factors, the investigators also performed immunohistochemical examination of microvessel counts using antihuman CD-31 and antibody. RESULTS: The significant poor prognostic factors in node-negative IHCC were the presence of intrahepatic metastasis, portal vein invasion of cancer cells, and high microvessel counts. After multivariate analysis was conducted, the independent poor prognostic factors were the presence of intrahepatic metastases and high microvessel counts. Of 9 patients who had postoperative recurrence of their disease, intrahepatic recurrence was observed in 7 (78 %). CONCLUSIONS: The factors linked to poor prognosis in IHCC were tumor angiogenesis and the presence of intrahepatic metastasis. Because intrahepatic recurrence was common, regional and adjuvant chemotherapy to the liver may improve the outcome of patients with these risk factors and node-negative IHCC.     

A combined Cox and logistic model provides accurate predictive performance in estimation of time-dependent probabilities for recurrence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after resection

BackgroundIntrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma has heterogeneous outcomes after resection. There remains a need for broadly applicable recurrence-specific tool offering precise evaluation on curativeness of resection.MethodsA four hospital-based clinical cohort involving 1,655 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma who received surgical resection were studied. Cox and logistic models were networked into one system containing risk categories with distinctive probabilities of recurrence. Prediction of time-to-recurrence was performed by formulizing time-dependent risk probabilities. The model was validated in three clinical cohorts (n=332).ResultsFrom the training cohort, 10 and 11 covariates, including diabetes, cholelithiasis, albumin, platelet count, alpha fetoprotein, carbohydrate antigen 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen, hepatitis B virus infection, tumor size and number, resection type, and lymph node metastasis, from Cox and logistic models were identified significant for recurrence-free survival (RFS). The combined Cox & logistic ranking system (CCLRS)-adjusted time-dependent probabilities were categorized into seven ranks (5-yr RFS for lowest and highest ranks were 75% vs. 0%; hazard ratio 18.5, 95% CI: 14.7–24.9, P<0.0001). The CCLRS was validated with a minimum area under curve value of 0.8086. Prediction of time-to-recurrence was validated to be excellent (Pearson r, 0.8204; P<0.0001).ConclusionsThe CCLRS allows precise estimation on risk of recurrence for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma after resection. It could be applicative when estimating time-dependent disease status and stratifying individuals who sole resection of the tumor would not be curative.     

肝内胆管癌根治性切除术后肿瘤复发转移的预后因素分析

目的：分析肝内胆管癌（IHCC）患者根治性切除术后肿瘤复发转移的危险因素。 方法：收集2002年1月—2008年5月行根治性切除手术治疗的125例IHCC患者的临床病理资料,分析全组患者术后无瘤生存率以及影响术后无瘤生存的不良预后因素。同时分析CA19-9水平与IHCC患者临床病理因素的关系。 结果：截至2013年5月,全组患者随访率为81%,中位随访时间30个月,109例患者出现肿瘤复发或转移。全组患者1、3、5年无瘤生存率分别为61.6%、27.2%、12.8%。多因素分析显示淋巴结转移（RR=3.990,95% CI=2.383~6.679,P<0.001）,肿瘤直径>5 cm（RR=1.78,95% CI=1.190~2.663,P=0.005）,CA19-9>200 U/mL（RR=1.734,95% CI=1.138~2.642,P=0.01）和多发肿瘤（RR=1.77,95% CI=1.114~2.812,P=0.016）是根治性切除术后影响肿瘤复发转移的独立危险因素。CA19-9浓度与淋巴结转移率密切相关（OR=3.208,95% CI=1.276~8.067,P=0.013）;CA19-9水平预测淋巴结转移的曲线下面积（AUC）达到0.696,灵敏度和特异度分别为75.0%和63.0%。 结论：淋巴结转移、肿瘤直径>5 cm、CA19-9>200 U/mL和多发肿瘤是IHCC患者根治术后复发转移的不良预后因素,且术前高CA19-9水平与淋巴结转移密切相关。

     

Primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver: case report

We describe a case of adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver, including treatment for the recurrence. A 67-year-old man with prolonged high fever was diagnosed with a mass lesion in the left lobe of the liver seen by imaging studies. That mass lesion was histologically diagnosed as cholangiocarcinoma by needle biopsy. Left hepatic lobectomy was performed, and a tumor was found that measured 8.0 × 7.0 × 6.0 cm. It was a yellowish white solid mass without macroscopic invasion of the intrahepatic bile duct. Histological examination of the resected specimen revealed both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. The postoperative course was uneventful, but abdominal computed tomography 3 months after operation revealed seven masses in the remnant liver. We diagnosed recurrence of the tumor, and intrahepatic arterial infusion of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil was begun. A partial remission resulted. Progression-free survival after chemotherapy lasted 2 months. However, the tumor markers and remnant tumor size increased gradually 9 months after the operation, and he died 14 months after surgery. We also review 41 cases of adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver reported in the Japanese and English language literature, including the present case. Received: May 6, 2002 / Accepted: July 5, 2002 Offprint requests to: E. Suzuki     

原发性胆管细胞性肝癌42例的外科治疗

目的　评价原发性胆管细胞性肝癌外科诊治的效果。方法　回顾性分析 1996 年 1 月至2001年12月间经手术治疗的42例原发性胆管细胞性肝癌的临床与病理资料。结果　42 例患者以上腹痛、黄疸、上腹包块为主要临床表现,合并胆石症6例;CA19 9检查25例,16例升高;形成单个包块者20例,腹腔淋巴结转移19例。手术切除16例,其中根治性切除13例,同种异体原位肝移植1例。根治性切除生存超过1年者7例,超过3年者4例,超过5年者2例。姑息性切除及肿瘤未切除者无2年生存者。结论　增强对原发性胆管细胞性肝癌的认识,提高早期诊断水平,采用手术切除及肝移植治疗,可提高治疗效果。     

Recurrent fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma with biliary invasion: Successful resection

A jaundiced 17-year-old man was diagnosed as having a local recurrence of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma 2 years and 4 months after left hepatic trisegmentectomy with total caudate lobectomy had been performed. The patient had a tumor occupying the upper part of the extrahepatic and intrahepatic bile ducts. Complete resection of the recurrent tumor was carried out. The patient remains well 3 years after the second surgery. Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, a rare type of liver cancer, is a well defined disease entity with distinct clinical and histopathological features and a favorable prognosis. The good prognosis seems to warrant aggressive surgical intervention in patients with recurrences. Therefore, additional surgery for tumor recurrence should be considered. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a case in which a recurrent tumor of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma invaded the entire bile duct wall was successfully resected.     

Treatment of recurrent cancer after surgery for biliary malignancies]

Our strategy for recurrent tumor after surgical resection for biliary malignancies, especially for hilar cholangiocarcinoma, is described. One hundred and thirty-three patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma underwent curative resection in our department until November, 1998, and recurrent carcinomas have been pointed out in 73 patients (54.9%). The site of recurrence was peritoneum (21 cases), liver (16 cases), pre-caval and retro-duodenal space (15 cases), hepatic hilum (11 cases), lymph node (9 cases), bone (6 cases), sinus tract of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) (5 cases) and so on. Surgical resection was applied to recurrent carcinomas after careful evaluation, and 9 patients underwent surgical resection of the recurrent tumor: sinus tract of PTBD in the abdominal and/or chest wall (4 cases), lymph node (2 cases), liver (1 case), hepaticojejunostomy (1 case) and duodenum (1 case). There were three hospital death patients. Other six patients survived for 16 months on an average (11-20 months) after surgery for recurrent tumor. PTBD for recurrent cancer at the hepatic hilum and gastrojejunostomy for local recurrence around the duodenum improved quality of life of patients. Radiation therapy for bone metastasis or local recurrence at the hepatic hilum was sometimes very effective. Effect of systemic or transarterial chemotherapy is still unknown.     

肝内胆管癌术后复发的治疗

影响肝内胆管癌(intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma,ICC)肝切除术后远期生存的主要因素是肝内复发和肝外转移。再切除适用于复发性肿瘤单发、至复发时间较长、肝功能良好的病人,但术后再复发率仍较高。对于术后较早期肝内复发、肿瘤直径不超过3 cm、数目不超过3个的ICC,消融治疗可达到与再切除相似的远期预后。对于不适合再切除或消融的肝内复发ICC,可考虑行经肝动脉栓塞化疗(tansarterial arterial chemoembolization,TACE)或钇-90经肝动脉放射性栓塞。对于术后发生肝外转移的ICC,应联合消融、TACE、系统性化疗、靶向治疗以及姑息治疗等多种治疗手段,以进一步延长病人的生存时间。     

Indications for surgical treatment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with lymph node metastases

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The postoperative outcome of patients who have intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma with lymph node metastases is extremely poor, and the indications for surgery for such patients have yet to be clearly established. METHODS: The demographic and clinical characteristics of 133 patients who underwent lymph node dissection during hepatic resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis identified three independent prognostic factors: intrahepatic metastasis, nodal involvement, and tumor at the margin of resection. Of the patients with tumor-free surgical margins, none of the 24 patients who had both lymph node metastases and intrahepatic metastases survived for 3 years. In contrast, the survival rates for the 23 patients who had lymph node metastases associated with a solitary tumor were 35% at 3 years and 26% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery alone cannot prolong survival when both lymph node metastases and intrahepatic metastases are present, while surgery may provide a chance for long-term survival in some patients who have lymph node metastases associated with a solitary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma tumor.     

Serosal invasion in TNM staging of mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Background/Purpose The Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan established a tumor-nodule-metastasis (TNM) staging system for mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, with T determined by tumor number and size and vascular or serosal invasion. Serosal invasion is not considered in the designation established by the International Union Against Cancer. Methods Sixty-three patients who underwent hepatic resection for mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma were investigated retrospectively, with the investigation including univariate and multivariate analyses of potential prognostic factors. Results By log-rank test, tumor size more than 3.0 cm, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, intrahepatic metastasis, and involved resection margin, but not serosal invasion, were associated significantly with poor prognosis. Even in patients with serosal invasion, the postoperative outcome was much better in those without than in those with vascular invasion. Multivariate analysis identified vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, and an involved resection margin as independent prognostic factors. When serosal invasion was excluded from tumor staging, the 5-year survival rates became more clearly stratified: 100% in those with stage I disease, 62% in those with stage II, 25% in those with stage III, and 7% for patients with stage IV. Conclusions Serosal invasion showed no survival impact after hepatic resection for mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. When serosal invasion was omitted from the TNM staging proposed by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan, stratification of postoperative survival between stages was more effective.     

Patterns and clinicopathologic features of extrahepatic recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the metastatic pattern in patients with extrahepatic metastasis after the removal of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to determine the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of patients with extrahepatic metastasis from HCC according to the recurrence pattern. METHODS: Among the patients who underwent hepatic resection for HCC between 1981 and 2001, 80 patients had no recurrence; 221 patients had intrahepatic recurrence, and 47 patients experienced extrahepatic metastasis within a mean follow-up period of 4.8 +/- 3.7 years (+/-SD; range, 2-15 years). The pattern of extrahepatic metastasis after hepatic resection was divided into pattern I (first recurrence in the liver and then spread outside the liver after repetitive intrahepatic recurrences and repetitive locoregional treatments), pattern II (simultaneous recognition of intrahepatic and extrahepatic recurrences), and pattern III (extrahepatic, but no intrahepatic, lesions at first recurrence). RESULTS: There were significant differences in proportions of patients with invasion of the portal vein, hepatic vein, or inferior vena cava, intrahepatic metastases, and tumor stage between patients with intra- and extrahepatic metastases. The disease-free survival and extrahepatic metastasis-free survival in pattern I were better than pattern II. Survival after extrahepatic metastasis did not correlate with the 3 patterns. CONCLUSION: Although long-term overall survival was better in patients with pattern I of extrahepatic recurrences, prognosis was poor in all patterns once extrahepatic metastasis developed.     

Development of bile duct cancer in a 26-year-old man after resection of infantile choledochal cyst

Anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct is considered to be a high-risk factor for biliary tract malignancy. We report a case of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in a 26-year-old man after total resection of choledochal cyst with anomalous arrangement of the pancreaticobiliary duct at the age of 5 months. He had been doing well after total resection of the choledochal cyst; however, he suddenly presented with a spiky fever and abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant at the age of 26 years. Computed tomographic scan and percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscope revealed multiple stones and stenosis of the hepatic duct and the left intrahepatic bile duct. Histologic examination of a biopsy specimen obtained from the stenotic site showed adenocarcinoma of the intrahepatic bile duct. Left lobectomy with re-reconstruction by right hepaticojejunostomy was performed, and his postoperative course was uneventful. One year after the operation, however, he died of carcinomatous peritonitis with recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma. This report warns us that bile stasis owing to stenosis of the intrahepatic bile duct and repeated cholangitis with multiple stones are high-risk factors for carcinogenesis of the intrahepatic bile duct even after total resection of the infantile choledochal cyst.     

Disease-free survival for 9 years after liver resection for stage IV gallbladder cancer: Report of a case

We report herein the case of a 66-year-old woman who has survived for more than 9 years without recurrence since undergoing a right trisegmentectomy of the liver with biliary reconstruction using the jejunum for stage IV (T1, N1a, M0, UICC) gallbladder cancer. The resected tumor, which was histologically diagnosed as moderately to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, was approximately 8cm in diameter and infiltrated from the gallbladder to the medial, anterior, and posterior segments of the liver, involving the right hepatic and common hepatic ducts and the right hepatic artery; no intrahepatic distant metastasis was found. Although preoperative imaging diagnosis showed swollen lymph nodes at the hepatoduodenal ligament and paraaortic region, histological analysis of the resected lymph nodes revealed only one metastasis, located at the cystic duct which was involved in the tumor. This case demonstrates that curative resection may be the appropriate surgical intervention for patients with a stage IV tumor and direct infiltration to the liver and surrounding organs but no distant metastases.     

腹腔镜肝切除治疗58例肝内胆管细胞癌的临床探讨

目的探讨腹腔镜肝切除治疗肝内胆管细胞癌(ICC)的安全性及可行性。方法采用回顾性研究方法。收集2016年1月—2018年12月湖南师范大学附属第一医院行腹腔镜肝切除治疗的58例ICC患者的临床资料。其中男性34例,女性24例;年龄34~71岁,中位年龄54岁。观察指标:(1)手术治疗情况:手术方式、手术时间、术中出血量、术中输血率、术中肝门阻断时间、中转率、术后并发症、术后住院时间、术后胃肠道恢复时间、围手术期有无死亡病例及非计划手术病例。(2)术后病理情况。(3)随访。采用门诊和电话方式进行随访,了解患者术后生存情况。随访时间截至2019年6月。正态分布的计量资料以均数±标准差(Mean±SD)表示,计数资料用频数和百分比(%)表示。结果本研究共纳入58例患者,其中48例患者在腹腔镜下完成ICC根治性外科切除手术,10例患者行腹腔镜中转开腹。(1)手术治疗情况:手术方式有腹腔镜下左半肝(Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ段)切除,腹腔镜下右半肝(Ⅴ、Ⅵ、Ⅶ、Ⅷ段)切除,腹腔镜下右肝后叶(Ⅵ、Ⅶ段)切除,腹腔镜下扩大右后叶切除,腹腔镜下肝中叶(Ⅳ、Ⅴ、Ⅷ段)切除,腹腔镜下Ⅴ、Ⅵ段切除,腹腔镜下左半肝(Ⅱ、Ⅲ、Ⅳ段)联合肝尾叶(Ⅰ、Ⅸ段)切除,腹腔镜扩大左半肝切除,腹腔镜下Ⅵ段切除,腹腔镜下Ⅶ、Ⅷ段切除,腹腔镜左肝外叶(Ⅱ、Ⅲ段)切除,腹腔镜右肝肿块切除;手术时间(320.38±107.68)min;术中出血量(262.34±76.06)mL;术中输血率为0(0/58);术中肝门阻断时间(48±15)min;其中10例腹腔镜中转开腹手术,中转率17.2%(10/58);术后胆瘘发生率为6.9%(4/58),保守治疗、通畅引流(T管负压吸引)后痊愈出院;无其他严重并发症发生。术后住院时间(9.34±3.39)d;术后胃肠道恢复时间(1.84±0.57)d;围手术期内无死亡病例及非计划手术病例。(2)病理情况:术中32例行淋巴结清扫,术后26例病理结果提示胆管细胞癌未行淋巴结清扫;病理学检查结果显示,所有肿瘤切缘的病理报告均为阴性,4例淋巴结清扫并提示淋巴结转移阳性。(3)随访结果:58例ICC患者中,49例获得术后随访,随访时间为6~36个月,术后肿瘤生存时间为4~36个月,28例获得无瘤生存,17例患者出现肝内转移并多发淋巴结转移,4例患者发现肝内转移后行微波消融治疗,9例患者失访。结论腹腔镜肝切除经验丰富的中心,应用腹腔镜治疗肝内胆管细胞癌是安全及可行的。     

Intrahepatic distant metastasis and metachronous multicentric occurrence in solitary hepatocellular carcinoma of less than five centimeters in diameter

During the 7 years from 1984 to 1990, 36 patients underwent liver resection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) measuring less than 5 cm in diameter, with no intrahepatic vascular invasion on imaging diagnoses and no macroscopic infiltration into the tumor capsule or surrounding tissues. Although HCC is less likely to cause intrahepatic adjacent metastasis to the cut liver surface, an analysis revealed the possibility of intrahepatic distant metastasis and metachronous multicentric occurrences, even after complete removal of the primary tumor. The 5-year cumulative survival rate was 53%, while the 5-year cumulative recurrence-free survival rate was 19%. Of the 36 patients, 18 (50%) had suffered a recurrence by April, 1992, one with extrahepatic metastasis. Recurrence of intrahepatic metastasis was multifocal in 5 patients, single and adjacent in 1, and single (or a few) and distant in 11. Multifocal recurrence was observed within 1 year after liver resection. The sole single and adjacent metastatic case occurred in one of eight patients in the recurrent group in whom distance of the surgical margin was less than 1 cm [TW(+)]. Multicentric occurrence was found in 6 of 13 patients (46%) whose recurrent tumors were examined histologically, and all belonged to the single (or a few) and distant type of recurrence. In this report, we also present two typical cases of metastasis, one being multifocal metastasis occurring within 3 months after liver resection and the other being intrahepatic metastasis occurring after a 4-year-dormant state, to demonstrate the complicated nature of the intrahepatic metastatic pattern.