[Treatment of hepatic tumors by transcatheter chemo-embolization with gelatin sponge]

Transcatheter chemo-embolization is a technique for achieving a marked antitumor effect by embolizing the hepatic artery with a gelatin sponge immediately after infusion of adriamycin 60 mg into the same artery. Chemo-embolization was performed in 212 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma and 23 cases of metastatic liver cancer, a total of 235 patients. Of this population, 19 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma underwent hepatectomy, and in 7 of them, complete necrosis of tumors having thick capsules and less than 4 cm in diameter was confirmed. The cumulative survival rate of patients with unresected hepatocellular carcinoma was 75.6% at 6 months, 52.6% at 1 year, and 20.3% at 2 years. The longest survival time was 3 years and a half, and this patient is now living. As regards metastatic liver cancer, complete necrosis could be achieved in 1 of 2 patients undergoing resection, whereas the cumulative survival rate of unresected cases was 55% at 6 months and 44% at 1 year: only two patients survived for more than 1 year. Technically, the use of a balloon catheter (7F) resulted in the virtual elimination of unsuccessful cases and the prevention of adverse effects due to migration of the gelatin sponge.