Pseudocirrhosis after chemotherapy for gastric cancer with diffuse liver metastases: A case report

Shinoda,Tomohito; Tanahashi,Toshiyuki; Sakuratani,Takuji; Ota,Masato; Fujibayashi,Seito; Kiriyama,Shunya; Matsumoto,Keita; Yawata,Kazunori; Sasaki,Yoshiyuki; Osada,Shinji; Yamada,Makoto

doi:10.3892/mco.2021.2441

Pseudocirrhosis after chemotherapy for gastric cancer with diffuse liver metastases: A case report

Authors:
- Tomohito Shinoda
- Toshiyuki Tanahashi
- Takuji Sakuratani
- Masato Ota
- Seito Fujibayashi
- Shunya Kiriyama
- Keita Matsumoto
- Kazunori Yawata
- Yoshiyuki Sasaki
- Shinji Osada
- Makoto Yamada
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Affiliations: Department of Surgery, Gifu Municipal Hospital, Gifu 500‑8513, Japan
Published online on: November 14, 2021 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2021.2441
Article Number: 11
Copyright: © Shinoda et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Pseudocirrhosis is a rare but important complication of metastatic cancer. We herein present the case of a patient with pseudocirrhosis occurring after a complete response to chemotherapy for metastatic gastric cancer was achieved. A 72‑year‑old man was diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma with multiple liver metastases. The patient's general condition was good, with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 1. Chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and S‑1 was initiated and, after four cycles, the patient noticed sudden abdominal distension. Despite the marked regression of the liver metastases, massive ascites, segmental atrophy and esophageal varices developed, findings consistent with pseudocirrhosis. The patient achieved complete response for the primary and metastatic lesions. Following endoscopic ligation of the varices, he underwent subsequent chemotherapy with S‑1 only and management of his ascites for 6 months. At 12 months after initial chemotherapy, the patient appeared to be disease‑free. In conclusion, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of pseudocirrhosis in cases of cancer metastasis to the liver, including metastatic gastric cancer.

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