Hepatocellular carcinoma: a clinical study

The clinical course of 40 patients with histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma was reviewed. The majority had symptoms and signs suggesting abdominal malignancy; these included abdominal pain, weight loss, tenderness in the right upper quadrant, hepatomegaly, and fever. The most useful diagnostic tests were determination of serum alkaline phosphatase level, sodium sulfobromophthalein (Bromsulphalein) excretion, and liver scan. Prothrombin time and bilirubin levels were normal or only slightly elevated. Celiac angiography was helpful in determining the extent of the disease. Surgical exploration was done in 25% of the cases, but in only 5% was resection attempted. The grim prognosis is indicated by the fact that only 10% of patients were alive six months after admission to the hospital.