Lower bile duct metastasis from rectal cancer after surgery for liver metastasis and intrahepatic bile duct metastasis: a case report

Extrahepatic bile duct metastasis from rectal adenocarcinoma: case report and literature review

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Extrahepatic metastasis is an exceptional site for rectal adenocarcinoma. Its clinical and radiological presentations are similar to those of cholangiocarcinoma, and its management requires collaboration between surgeons, endoscopists, and oncologists.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a unique case of a 58-year-old woman previously treated two and a half years ago for middle rectal adenocarcinoma with liver metastasis. In the immediate postoperative period, following restoring digestive continuity, she presented cholestatic jaundice from malignant obstruction of the extrahepatic bile duct. A midline laparotomy revealed a tumor of the common bile duct invading the hepatic pedicle. Therefore, external bile drainage, biopsy and hepatic lymph node dissection were performed. Immunohistochemical staining confirmed the diagnosis of extrahepatic bile duct metastasis from rectal adenocarcinoma.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Extrahepatic bile duct metastasis from rectal adenocarcinoma manifests as bile duct stenosis or intraluminal lesions, and only pathological examination with immunochemical staining confirms the diagnosis. Radical treatment is possible when general conditions allow it.

CONCLUSION

Our case is the twelfth to describe a solitary metastasis of the bile duct metastasis from colorectal adenocarcinoma. The rarity of published cases in the literature means that their development mechanism and management are not well-codified.

Malignant biliary obstruction due to metastatic non-hepato-pancreato-biliary cancer

Malignant biliary obstruction generally results from primary malignancies of the pancreatic head, bile duct, gallbladder, liver, and ampulla of Vater. Metastatic lesions from other primaries to these organs or nearby lymph nodes are rarer causes of biliary obstruction. The most common primaries include renal cancer, lung cancer, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lymphoma, and melanoma. They may be difficult to differentiate from primary hepato-pancreato-biliary cancer based on imaging studies, or even on biopsy. There is also no consensus on the optimal method of treatment, including the feasibility and effectiveness of endoscopic intervention or surgery. A thorough review of the literature on pancreato-biliary metastases and malignant biliary obstruction due to metastatic non-hepato-pancreato-biliary cancer is presented. The diagnostic modality and clinical characteristics may differ significantly depending on the type of primary cancer. Different primaries also cause malignant biliary obstruction in different ways, including direct invasion, pancreatic or biliary metastasis, hilar lymph node metastasis, liver metastasis, and peritoneal carcinomatosis. Metastasectomy may hold promise for some types of pancreato-biliary metastases. This review aims to elucidate the current knowledge in this area, which has received sparse attention in the past. The aging population, advances in diagnostic imaging, and improved treatment options may lead to an increase in these rare occurrences going forward.