Abstract
Three patients with primary hepatic tumours were treated by selective arterial embolisation with gelatin-foam fragments to induce necrosis. In the two with histologically proved hepatocellular carcinoma ultrasonography suggested that necrosis had been induced, as did the rapid initial falls in serum alpha-fetoprotein concentration by 95 and 81% of the original values respectively. Treatment was continued with a course of adriamycin, and both patients remained well and symptom free at 10 and 12 months. In the third patient, who had an expanding and highly vascular benign hepatic adenoma associated with use of a contraceptive pill, embolisation obliterated the tumour mass. Tumour embolisation should be regarded as only the first step in managing hepatocellular carcinoma and as a means of reducing appreciably the viable tumour mass before chemotherapy. It may be used as the primary and definitive treatment in patients with benign liver tumours.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Allison D. J., Modlin I. M., Jenkins W. J. Treatment of carcinoid liver metastases by hepatic-artery embolisation. Lancet. 1977 Dec 24;2(8052-8053):1323–1325. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(77)90369-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Allison D. J. Therapeutic embolization. Br J Hosp Med. 1978 Dec;20(6):707–715. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BREEDIS C., YOUNG G. The blood supply of neoplasms in the liver. Am J Pathol. 1954 Sep-Oct;30(5):969–977. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dick R. Radiology now. Therapeutic angiographic embolization. Br J Radiol. 1977 Apr;50(592):241–242. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-50-592-241. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Goldstein H. M., Wallace S., Anderson J. H., Bree R. L., Gianturco C. Transcatheter occlusion of abdominal tumors. Radiology. 1976 Sep;120(3):539–545. doi: 10.1148/120.3.539. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Johnson P. J., Williams R., Thomas H., Sherlock S., Murray-Lyon I. M. Induction of remission in hepatocellular carcinoma with doxorubicin. Lancet. 1978 May 13;1(8072):1006–1009. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)90735-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kim D. K., Kinne D. W., Fortner J. G. Occlusion of the hepatic artery in man. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1973 Jun;136(6):966–968. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Murray-Lyon I. M. Treatment of hepatic tumours by ligation of the hepatic artery and infusion of cytotoxic drugs. J R Coll Surg Edinb. 1972 May;17(3):156–161. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]