[A case of poorly differentiated hepatic cell carcinoma which showed 90% decrease in size after chemotherapy with...

The patient was a 77-year-old man, admitted complaining of abdominal fullness and appetite loss. By ultrasonography and CT an 8 x 5 cm mass was discovered in S1 of the liver. Needle biopsy specimen from the lesion revealed poorly differentiated hepatic cell carcinoma. Because of his advanced age and the size of the tumor, surgical therapy was not used. Chemotherapy with intraarterial injection of mitomycin C 2 mg once a week and 800 mg of tegafur PO daily was given for 5 weeks until bone marrow suppression developed. After recovery of hematological data, tegafur 800 mg PO daily every other week was administered for a year. In the course of these therapies, the hepatic tumor became smaller, and the ultimate decrease rate was over 90% (PR). Thus far it seems that chemotherapy with tegafur might be tried in hepatic cell carcinoma cases in which surgery is not indicated.