Lymph Node Dissection Conducted Twice for Solitary Lymph Node Metastasis after Hepatectomy in a Case of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Lymph node metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma is relatively rare, and we report a case of lymph node dissection twice for solitary lymph node metastasis after hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma. A 66–year–old man undergoing lateral hepatic segmentectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma in 1997 was diagnosed from pathological findings with moderately differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma with a trabecular pattern and concomitant chronic hepatitis. In 2000 and 2002, he underwent lymph node dissection twice for solitary lymph node metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma 5 cm and 3 cm in diameter along the common hepatic artery and the inferior margin of the pancreas body and tail. Pathological findings showed hepatocellular carcinoma with a trabecular pattern in both cases. Five years and 7 months after the first resection for lymph node metastasis (3 years 7 months after the second sucn resection), he died of intrahepatic recurrence and bone metastasis, although no lymph node metastasis was seen. No report has to our knowledge been made of lymph node dissection twice for solitary lymph node metastasis after hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma.