Orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

We report a case of orbital metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma and review the literature. A 45-year-old healthy male patient presented with proptosis due to an orbital mass. Histopathologic examination indicated that the tumor was a secondary from a hepatocellular carcinoma, and further investigations revealed the primary tumor in the liver. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a rare source of metastasis to the orbit, and to our knowledge, only 14 histopathologically proven cases have been reported previously. Proptosis was the most common presenting feature in the reviewed reports. A majority of patients had occult primary tumors at presentation and the diagnosis of the orbital mass was based on histopathologic features. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.