Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent cancer in Taiwan. The initial manifestations of HCC are often related to abdominal symptoms. We had encountered 1263 HCC cases at Tri-Service General Hospital between 1985 and 1992. Of these, seven cases presented vertebral metastases with spinal cord compression (SCC) as an initial manifestation. At diagnosis, their symptoms related to primary liver tumor were obscure. Because SCC is an unusual and emergent complication of HCC, we reviewed the clinical features in these seven cases. The age, hepatitis B surface antigen seroposivity, alpha-fetoprotein level, and median survival time were not different from those in patients without initial SCC. Only the frequency of associated cirrhosis of liver was lower. The vertsbral metastases also most commonly involved low T -spines. It is considered that HCC should be included in the differential diagnosis of malignancies with SCC, especially in Taiwan area. The early intervention is suggested to maintain good life quality and prevent neurologic dysfunction because they had no worse prognosis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 67-72 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of Medical Sciences |
Volume | 16 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - Aug 1995 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Hepatocellular carcinoma
- Spinal cord compression