The use of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy for recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma

Forty patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with percutaneous ethanol injection therapy. All patients had fewer than three tumors of less than 30 mm in diameter. Additionally, all recurrences with fewer than 3 tumors of less than 30 mm in diameter was repeated for 33 recurrences and discontinued in 17 cases. Duration between treatments became significantly shorter with successive treatments. There was no significant difference in the duration between treatments in patients classified by tumor size (less than 20 mm vs. 20 mm or more), whereas there was a significantly lower recurrence rate in patients with solitary tumors as compared with those with multiple HCC. Laboratory data before successive PEI-treatments were also compared, and showed that hepatic functional reserve did not decrease with repeat percutaneous ethanol injection. The cumulative survival rate in all 40 patients after the first treatment was significantly higher than in the 17 patients for whom treatment was discontinued.