A Case of Pulmonary Carcinoid with Multiple Liver Metastases Resected 9 Years after Primary Resection

Abstract

Pulmonary carcinoid is a low-grade malignant tumor with neuroendocrine features. We report a resected case of postoperative liver metastases of pulmonary carcinoid. The patient was a 70-year-old man who had undergone lower-right pulmonary lobectomy and lymphadenectomy at another hospital after being diagnosed with pulmonary carcinoid nine years previously. Histopathological examination showed atypical carcinoid pT1N0M0 pStage IA. During postoperative follow-up observation, a tumor in the liver was confirmed by CT and the patient was referred to our hospital. Contrast-CT examination showed early deep-dyeing tumors of 25 mm in diameter in the segment VIII and 21 mm in the segment VI of the liver, and EOB-MRI examination revealed tumors showing a low signal in the hepatocyte phase of 25 mm and 4 mm in the segment VIII and 21 mm in the segment VI of the liver. Based on these findings, partial resection of segments VIII and VI of the liver was performed due to suspected liver metastases of the pulmonary carcinoid. The histopathological diagnosis was postoperative distant metastasis of the pulmonary carcinoid. As of 15 months after the surgery, the patient is alive with no recurrence. Pulmonary carcinoid has a record of recurring after a long-term interval, and sufficient follow-up observation would be necessary.