Carcinoma of the colon with synchronous hepatic metastasis in a cirrhotic liver harboring a hepatocellular carcinoma.

Tumor metastasis to a cirrhotic liver is rare. It has been suggested that colorectal cancer does not metastasize to the cirrhotic liver. We reported a 65 year-old man, a known carrier of hepatitis B surface antigen, diagnosed to have hepatocellular carcinoma with routine screening. A partial hepatectomy with resection of segments VI and VII was performed. The hepatectomy specimen revealed a 4.5 cm diameter HCC in a cirrhotic liver. Incidentally, 0.8 cm diameter ulcer at the descending colon. Histological examination of the left hemicolectomy specimen showed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.