Non-surgical (medical) treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)

Choice of treatment for HCC depends mainly on the size of tumor and patient's liver function because more than 80% of HCC patients are associated with liver cirrhosis. Percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT), transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and intraarterial infusion chemotherapy are, at present, commonly used treatments for HCC in Japan. PEIT is a safe and reliable treatment, in which absolute ethanol is injected to the tumor through a fine needle under US guide. PEIT is indicated for tumors of small size, which can not be removed surgically. The survival rate of PEIT for small liver cancer, less than 2 cm in diameter, is similar with the one of surgically removed cases. TAE is indicated for advanced HCC. Chemoembolization with Lipiodol is commonly used with good result. After TAE has been often performed, the survival rate of HCC patients was dramatically increased. In future, TAE combined with percutaneous transhepatic portal embolization or PEIT would be applied more often to obtain complete destruction of the lesion for advanced HCC. Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy is indicated for advanced HCC, in which TAE can not be performed. MMC, ADM and CDDP are commonly used anti-cancer drugs. Recently frequent infusion of these drugs has become possible by using implantable reservoir with good result. We have performed chemosensitivity test by SRCA for HCC specimens obtained by biopsy using a fine needle.