Hepatocellular carcinoma effectively treated by intravenous infusion of cisplatin

We report a rare case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for which intravenous administration of cisplatin (CDDP) was effective. A 48-year-old woman with recurrent HCC was admitted to our hospital. She had undergone right hepatectomy 1 year previously. A large tumor in the liver and multiple lung metastases were found by computed tomography in June 1995. She was icteric, and titers of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP; 214 ng/ml) and protein induced vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II; 80 AU/ml) were high. According to these findings, she was diagnosed as having nonresectable recurrent HCC with extrahepatic lesions. She was treated by intravenous administration of CDDP. The dose of CDDP was 50 mg and it was infused once a week. One kur of CDDP was 4 weeks, and a total of four kur were administered. We noted that the lung metastases and primary liver tumor resolved after 1 kur of chemotherapy. The levels of serum AFP and PIVKA-II decreased markedly, to 26 ng/ml and <0.07 AU/ml, respectively. A complete response was obtained, and she maintained a good state of health for the next 6 months, until brain metastases occurred. She died 13 months after the initiation of treatment with CDDP. In general, intravenous CDDP cannot be recommended as a single agent for HCC therapy, but CDDP showed good antineoplastic activity in our patient.