Abstract
Rupture of the tumour is a catastrophic complication of hepatocellular carcinoma. The prognosis in patients with a ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma is usually unfavourable. We describe a 46-year-old man who suffered from visible massive tumour haemorrhage due to a hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma that metastasized to the sternal bone. The prominent tumour mass was bulging over the anterior chest wall on the sternum of the patient, and bled spontaneously. This episode of life-threatening haemorrhage was stopped by surgical ligation of the bleeding site. Palliative radiotherapy shrank the tumour mass size and prevented further possible bleeding. This is likely to be the first reported case with a visible spontaneous tumour bleeding from a sternal metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. (C) 2000 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 684-687 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Australia) |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Chest wall
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Radiotherapy
- Sternum
- Tumour bleeding
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hepatology
- Gastroenterology
