[Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy plus embolization for unresectable liver cancer--a report on 40 patients]

Forty patients with unresectable liver cancer were treated by hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy plus embolization (HAI+HAE). Thirty-four patients had huge masses and 6 nodular lesions. After HAI+HAE, the frequency of greater than or equal to 50% reduction in tumor size was 67.5% (27/40); that of reduction in marked and partial disappearance of tumor blood vessels was 90% (36/40); and that of marked decrease and normalized AFP was 90.3% (28/31). The mean survival of 12 patients treated solely by HAI plus HAE was 17.2 months, and one of them has been alive for 48 months. Twenty-eight patients became operable following HAI+HAE and 26 of them underwent hepatic resection. Pathologic examination revealed obvious necrosis in most part of the tumor with a few viable cancer cells in the periphery and inflammatory reaction as well as fibrotic proliferation around the necrotic tumor tissue. The authors believe that hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy plus embolization for the unresectable liver cancer is effective. If satisfactory shrinkage of the tumor is observed, subsequent resection should be contemplated for cure.