A case of successful treatment by interferon-α and 5-fluorouracil combination therapy (FAIT) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus

We report a case of successful treatment by interferon-α (IFN) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combination therapy and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT). A 70-year-old woman, who was diagnosed as unresectable HCC with PVTT in the main trunk of portal vein and multiple intrahepatic metastases, was admitted to our hospital for further treatment for HCC. First, she was treated by 3 courses of IFN and 5-FU combination therapy. Three courses after the combination therapy, PVTT was shrunken and portal flow to the liver was reperfused. Therefore, she was treated by TACE for intrahepatic tumors. She received a repeat treatment of the combination therapy and TACE. Four years after the initial treatment, she is still alive with good condition with intrahepatic tumors. This case suggested that some patient of HCC with PVTT could get a long-term survival if an initial treatment was succeeded and could apply further treatment such as TACE.