Extrahepatic biliary obstruction caused by cancer of non-liver origin in children: report of 5 cases.

Obstructive jaundice secondary to external compression of the extrahepatic bile duct caused by tumor of non-liver origin was found in 5 of 199 consecutive children with cancer between 1986 and 1988 at the Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital. Of the 5 patients, 2 had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the other 3 had acute promyelocytic leukemia, histiocytosis X and neuroblastoma, respectively. Extrahepatic biliary obstruction occurred as part of the initial presentation of malignancy in 3 cases, and later in the course of disease in the other 2 cases. In each instance, abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed dilatation of intrahepatic biliary trees due to mass compressing effects. A huge multilobulated tumor and multiple enlarged lymph nodes near the porta hepatis were found in all 3 patients who underwent an exploratory laparotomy. Wedge biopsy of the liver showed no cancer cell invasion. One case died before chemotherapy had commenced. The other 4 patients received chemotherapy and 3 of them received additional radiotherapy. Although jaundice and tumor regressed dramatically with this mode of treatments, subsequent recurrence of tumor without jaundice rapidly ensued in 3 patients. They all died, except 1 case, within 18 months from the occurrence of jaundice. This suggests that these patients were in an advanced stage of disease and should be diagnosed early and treated vigorously. Accordingly, cancer of non-liver origin, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice if survival is to be improved in these cancer children.