Ruptured Hepatocellular Carcinoma Secondary to Undiagnosed Hepatitis B in a Young Male Papua New Guinean Patient

Authors

  • David Brough Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3063-8983
  • Dominique Dahlenburg Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8391-4631
  • Adam McNamara Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2900-4377
  • Amirah Etchegaray School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia
  • Emily Olive Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia
  • David Cavallucci Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2112-6465
  • Richard Bryant Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia
  • Samuel Davis Department of Interventional Radiology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia
  • Samuel Foong Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia
  • Barbara Leggett School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia
  • Nicholas O'Rourke Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Queensland 4029, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Queensland 4006, Australia https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0744-2816

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64292/hpbci.160

Keywords:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Hepatitis B

Abstract

A 29-year-old male from Papua New Guinea (PNG) presented to a rural Australian hospital with acute severe chest and abdominal pain. ECG did not demonstrate acute ischemic changes; however, cardiac troponin was raised, and he was initially managed as acute coronary syndrome with dual antiplatelet therapy and therapeutic anticoagulation. He subsequently developed worsening abdominal pain and a hemoglobin decrement.  Computed Tomography (CT) Angiogram of the abdomen demonstrated a large mass in the right lobe of the liver with hemoperitoneum. Serology revealed active Hepatitis B, with liver biopsy confirming hepatocellular carcinoma. Following multidisciplinary team discussion, he underwent palliative locoregional treatment with Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT).

References

Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, Laversanne M, Soerjomataram I, Jemal A, et al. Global cancer statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 2021;71:209–49. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660.

Petrick JL, Florio AA, Znaor A, Ruggieri D, Laversanne M, Alvarez CS, et al. International trends in hepatocellular carcinoma incidence, 1978–2012. International Journal of Cancer 2020;147:317–30. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32723.

McGlynn KA, Petrick JL, El‐Serag HB. Epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology 2021;73:4–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.31288.

Global HIV. Hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections programmes. Global progress report on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections. World Health Organization; 2021.

GBD 2019 Hepatitis B Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of hepatitis B, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology 2022;7:796–829. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00124-8.

Xiao Y, Hellard ME, Thompson AJ, Seaman C, Howell J, Scott N. The cost‐effectiveness of universal hepatitis B screening for reaching WHO diagnosis targets in Australia by 2030. Medical Journal of Australia 2023;218:168–73. https://doi.org/10.5694/mja2.51825.

Reig M, Forner A, Rimola J, Ferrer-Fàbrega J, Burrel M, Garcia-Criado Á, et al. BCLC strategy for prognosis prediction and treatment recommendation: The 2022 update. Journal of Hepatology 2022;76:681–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2021.11.018.

Khor AY-K, Toh Y, Allen JC, Ng DC-E, Kao Y-H, Zhu G, et al. Survival and pattern of tumor progression with yttrium-90 microsphere radioembolization in predominantly hepatitis B Asian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatology International 2014;8:395–404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-014-9533-9.

Papua New Guinea Development Cooperation Factsheet. Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2025. https://www.dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/development-cooperation-fact-sheets-for-country-regional-and-sector-thematic-programs/papua-new-guinea (accessed May 1, 2025).

Downloads

Published

2025-07-27

Issue

Section

Case Reports

How to Cite

Brough, D., Dahlenburg, D. ., McNamara, A., Etchegaray, A. ., Olive, E., Cavallucci, D., Bryant, R., Davis, S., Foong, S., Leggett, B., & O'Rourke, N. (2025). Ruptured Hepatocellular Carcinoma Secondary to Undiagnosed Hepatitis B in a Young Male Papua New Guinean Patient. HPB Cancer International, 3(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.64292/hpbci.160

Most read articles by the same author(s)