[A clinicopathological study of primary liver cancer associated with alcoholic liver injury]

We described a clinicopathological study of primary hepatoma associated with alcoholic liver diseases without viral liver diseases. In 150 patients with primary hepatoma, 6 patients (4%) have hepatoma associated with pure alcoholic liver disease, although 143 hepatoma were associated with chronic viral liver diseases and one was with primary biliary cirrhosis. All patients were male. The diagnosis of hepatoma was obtained at the age of 54 to 67 years old, and the duration of ethanol intake was 33 to 40 years. Three cases had a history of temperance. As an underlying liver disease, liver fibrosis was found in 3 cases and liver cirrhosis was in 3 cases. Chronic infections of hepatitis B and C viruses were ruled out by assaying serum virus markers. Autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis were neglected by serum autoantibody. Hemochromatosis and Wilson's disease were also excluded. Hepatocellular carcinoma was diagnosed histologically in all the cases. Serum alpha-fetoprotein and PIVKA-II were positive in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. In cases with small hepatoma, the tumor was resected surgically in two cases and percutaneous ethanol injection against hepatoma was performed in one case. In these cases with small hepatoma, the patients were alive without tumor recurrence during observation period. In advanced hepatoma, transcatheter arterial infusion of anticancer agent was performed in two cases and no therapy was performed due to poor general condition in one case. One case was alive with recurrent hepatoma for 27 months, during which a therapy was repeated five times. Other 2 cases were died. The clinicopathological features of hepatoma associated with alcoholic liver disease were essentially same as those associated with chronic viral infection, although the incidence of hepatoma in alcoholic liver disease was lower than in viral liver disease. The mechanism of hepatocarcinogenesis in alcoholic liver disease was unclear and, therefore, further study of molecular biology and biochemistry was necessary.