A Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis to the Dorsal Tongue / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common neoplasm, and its metastasis to the head and neck area is rare. We herein describe a unique case of HCC metastasis to the dorsal tongue. A 54-year-old male who was already diagnosed with HCC visited our hospital complaining of dysphagia and a progressively enlarging dorsal tongue mass. We operated to excise on the mass using CO₂ laser including mucosal margin and deep margin. The diagnosis of HCC metastasis was confirmed immunohistochemically. After 2 weeks of follow-up, the patient did not exhibit any evidence of complication and could eat orally without any problem. Further treatment to the other metastatic lesion was rejected, and the patient was followed up for more than six months. We introduce this first case of metastatic HCC in the dorsal tongue. With the extended life expectancy of HCC patients, the incidence of rare metastasis is expected to increase.