Acute heart failure caused by a giant hepatocellular metastatic tumor of the right atrium

Right hepatectomy under cardiopulmonary bypass for hepatocellular carcinoma with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus: a case report

BACKGROUND

The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with vascular invasion is extremely poor, especially in patients with tumor thrombus (TT) of the inferior vena cava (IVC), which is an oncological emergency with a high risk of sudden death due to TT extension or migration. Herein, we describe a case of HCC with TT of the IVC that rapidly extended into the right atrium (RA), in which right hepatectomy was performed under cardiopulmonary bypass.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with HCC with IVC TT, and right hepatic lobectomy was scheduled. While awaiting surgery, he complained of respiratory distress and rushed to the emergency room. The TT had reached the RA, and the patient was in a state of oncologic emergency. We requested the cooperation of the cardiovascular surgery department, and under artificial cardiopulmonary support, the right atrium was incised, and a part of the TT was removed. The IVC was clamped to prevent tumor dispersal, and right hepatic lobectomy was performed. The remaining thrombus was excised along with the right lobe of the liver by incising the IVC. There were no serious postoperative complications, and the patient is alive 1 year and 5 months postoperatively.

CONCLUSION

Hepatic resection with cardiopulmonary bypass could be an option for HCC with TT reaching the RA.

Surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombosis in inferior vena cava: A case report

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accompanied by a tumor thrombus is very common. However, the treatment strategy is controversial and varies by the location of the thrombus.

CASE SUMMARY

We report herein a case of HCC with a tumor thrombus in the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC), which was successfully treated by hepatectomy combined with thrombectomy following sorafenib chemotherapy. A 47-year-old woman with chronic hepatitis was diagnosed with HCC. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor lesion was located in the right half of the liver, and a tumor thrombus was detected in the suprahepatic IVC near the right atrium. After multi-departmental discussion and patient informed consent, right major hepatectomy and total removal of the tumor thrombus were successfully performed under cardiopulmonary bypass. There were no serious complications after surgery. Following sorafenib treatment, no recurrence has been detected so far (11 mo later).

CONCLUSION

Surgical treatment followed by adjuvant sorafenib therapy might be an acceptable choice for HCC patients with tumor thrombosis in the IVC.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Atrial Extension: A Case Report

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common malignancy usually associated with cirrhosis. Despite being a highly aggressive tumor with several cases of vascular invasion, metastatic disease to the heart is a rare condition. A 65-year-old male cirrhotic patient was admitted with dyspnea, ascites, and lower extremity edema. A transthoracic echocardiogram showed a large mass in the right atrium. Further imaging studies revealed the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma extending from the liver to the right atrium through the inferior vena cava. The cardiac mass was surgically removed to treat the symptoms of right heart failure, but unfortunately the patient died on the 30th day after surgery due to septic shock.

Ectopic hepatocellular carcinoma in the adrenal gland with inferior vena cava thrombosis and right atrial extension

Intravascular tumor extension in the inferior vena cava (IVC) is known to occur with abdominal tumors, such as renal cell, hepatocellular, adrenal cell carcinoma, and Wilm's tumor. We encountered a 53-year-old male patient presenting with pulmonary embolism and a right atrial mass with imaging evidence of an adrenal tumor extending into the IVC, up to the right atrium. The patient underwent surgery for the resection of the tumor using cardiopulmonary bypass by a team of cardiothoracic surgeons and urologists. Histology identified the tumor as hepatocellular carcinoma, which developed as ectopic hepatic tissue in the right adrenal gland.

Surgical resection of recurrent extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium under cardiopulmonary bypass: a case report and review of the literature

Background

Recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma accompanied by a right atrial tumor thrombus is rare. No standard treatment modality has been established. Surgical treatment may be the only curative treatment; however, surgery has been considered high risk. We herein describe a patient who underwent resection of a recurrent right atrial tumor thrombus under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass on a beating heart.

Case presentation

A 60-year-old man underwent a right hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma with diaphragm invasion. During the preoperative cardiac screening, he was diagnosed with an old myocardial infarction with triple-vessel coronary disease. Percutaneous coronary intervention was performed for the left anterior descending artery and left circumflex coronary artery. High-grade stenosis remained in his right coronary artery. Nine months later, computed tomography showed recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in the diaphragm and a tumor thrombus extending from the suprahepatic inferior vena cava into the right atrium. Surgical resection of the recurrent tumor was performed through a right subcostal incision with xiphoid extension and median sternotomy. The recurrent tumor was incised with the diaphragm and pericardium. Intraoperative ultrasonography revealed that the tumor thrombus was free from right atrium wall invasion and that the right atrium could be clamped just proximal to the tumor thrombus. The right atrium, infrahepatic vena cava, left and middle hepatic veins, and hepatoduodenal ligament were encircled. Cardiopulmonary bypass was performed to prevent ischemic heart disease caused by intraoperative hypotension. Total hepatic vascular exclusion was then performed under normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass on heart beating. The inferior vena cava wall was incised. The tumor thrombus with the diaphragmatic recurrent tumor was resected en bloc. The patient had a favorable clinical course without any complications.

Conclusion

The recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in the diaphragm and the right atrial tumor thrombus were safely resected using normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass on heart beating.

Mobile right atrial thrombus with pulmonary thromboembolism in a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma and disseminated tumor thrombosis

We report a 61-year-old male patient who presented with one month history of exertional dyspnea, persistent dry cough, abdominal pain with distension, poor appetite, and weight loss. This case illustrates a rare presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma with mobile right atrial thrombus and pulmonary embolism along with disseminated tumor thrombosis at multiple sites. Furthermore, this case reiterates that an early detection and diagnosis may have increasing importance in the advent of new therapies for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma