Hepatic metastasis of pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma: A case report and literature review

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung is a rare and aggressive malignancy with a high propensity for metastasis. This carcinoma demonstrates a significantly higher propensity for hepatic metastasis compared with other non-small cell lung cancer subtypes, thereby exacerbating therapeutic complexity and worsening prognosis. A man in his early 60s was admitted to our institution with a hepatic space-occupying lesion. Hepatic segmentectomy was performed, and histopathological examination confirmed a neuroendocrine carcinoma. Following stabilization of vital signs, the patient underwent uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for partial lobectomy of the right upper lung. Subsequent histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of hepatic metastasis originating from pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. This case highlights that clinicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma when encountering multifocal malignancies.