Aggressive surgical management of recurrent lymph node and pancreatic head metastases of resected fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

CONTEXT: Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare liver tumor with the propensity to metastasize to the lymph nodes months or years after initial surgery. However, its metastatic spread to the pancreas was previously reported only in a child. CASE REPORT: We present an unusual case of a young female patient who was repeatedly treated by surgical excision of abdominal and mediastinal lymph node recurrences between 2 and 6 years after left hepatic lobectomy for fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma. At 8 years following her initial surgery, the patient was diagnosed with pancreatic head metastasis and a pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed. Postoperative course was uneventful and the patient did not experience recurrence within the last 18 months.
CONCLUSION: The metastasis of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma to the pancreas is highly exceptional but possible and its excision appears warranted as well.