[A case of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, in which the tumor almost disappeared by orally administered UFT]

A 59-year-old male with liver cirrhosis was admitted to our hospital for further examination of general fatigue. A huge tumor was found in the right lobe of his liver with abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT). The titers of serum AFP (14,055 ng/ml) and PIVKA-II (more than 50.0 AU/ml) were extremely high. A tumor embolus was observed in the portal vein with abdominal angiography. According to these findings, he was diagnosed as having advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). He was treated by oral administration of UFT (600 mg/day) as an unresectable case of HCC. Three months later, the clinical symptoms were greatly improved and HCC was almost diminished with abdominal ultrasonography and CT, although a small tumor embolus was found by angiography. The titers of AFP and PIVKA-II were reduced to the normal range. This case suggests the clinical effectiveness of UFT for the treatment of HCC.