Treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma with multiple liver metastases: a case experience of sustained complete response

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with distant metastases has poor prognosis. Metastatic sites are usually multifocal and involve bones, lungs and live. Management of metastatic disease is essentially palliative and is based on chemoradiotherapy. A 48-year-old man with a solitary liver metastasis from a newly diagnosed NPC was treated by segmentectomy. Prior to radiotherapy, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and erbitux followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy was administered. The liver metastatic site was resection by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Complete remission of the primary disease was achieved, although the size of the hepatic lesion was increased. After resection of the liver metastasis lesion, no sign of local or distant recurrence was noted during the 6-month follow up. NPC with a liver metastasis responds at neoadjuvant or concurrent chemotherapy. Since we excluded extrahepatic lesions and disease was completely locoregionally controlled, the decision to surgically remove the hepatic lesion was justified with a reasonable outcome.