Relapsed hepatoblastoma

Successful treatment of recurrent hepatoblastoma (HB) relies largely on surgical resection. When tumors are responsive, chemotherapy can be used to render patients resectable. Various chemotherapeutic regimens studied in small numbers of patients on phase I/II trials have shown few responses. The best available data indicate that doxorubicin, if not given during intial treatment, and irinotecan are the most active agents in recurrent HB. Stem cell transplantation and radiation therapy have been reported in several patients with unclear successes. Advances in therapy for relapsed patients require concentrating enrollment in one or two phase I/II trials utilizing agents with promising preclinical data.