Abstract
Skeletal muscle metastasis from bile duct cancer is very rare, and only 3 cases have been reported in the literature. We report a case of multiple skeletal muscle metastases in a patient with bile duct cancer. A 73-year-old man who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy for lower bile duct carcinoma presented with a rapidly growing and severely painful mass in the right brachial region on day after the operation. The mass was judged as a hematoma in the right deltoid muscle and the patient was followed up closely. The patient then developed a similar mass in the left greater pectoral muscle on day 68 after the surgery. Core-needle biopsy of the mass in the right deltoid muscle revealed the diagnosis of metastatic tumor from the bile duct cancer. Thereafter, metastatic tumors were found in the gluteal, pectoral and thigh muscles. The patient was initiated on chemotherapy, however, the therapy had to be discontinued. Then, he was started on radiotherapy, with relief from the local symptoms, however, t he patient died on day 149 after the surgery. No effective therapy for skeletal muscle metastases has been established yet, however, we believe that early treatment may improve the prognosis. We must consider the diagnosis of skeletal muscle metastasis in cancer patients presenting with a mass(es) in the skeletal muscle.
