New approaches to hepatocellular carcinoma and concomitant esophageal varices prolong survival

A retrospective study was done on 226 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and coexisting esophageal varices treated at our institute between 1974 and 1988. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A containing patients treated between 1974 and 1982 (n = 92), and Group B comprising those treated between 1983 and 1988 (n = 134). Surgical treatments were applied to 64 patients (69.6%) and 37 patients (27.6%) in groups A and B, respectively (p less than 0.001). Ninety out of 134 patients (67.2%) in group B were prescribed regional chemotherapy. Forty-nine patients (53.3%) in group A, and 96 (71.6%) in group B had esophageal varices that were about to rupture as indicated endoscopically. Nineteen patients (38.8%) in group A, and 10 (10.4%) in group B were treated surgically (p less than 0.005). The varices in 76 out of 96 patients (79.2%) in group B were treated by endoscopic sclerotherapy. Survival rates during the first 5 years in groups A and B were 28% and 65%, 16% and 43%, 5% and 27%, 4% and 18%, and 4% and 6%, respectively. It would appear that appropriate conservative treatment of the poor surgical candidates will, in general, lead to good clinical results.