Preservation of hypervascularity in hepatocellular carcinoma after effective proton-beam radiotherapy--CT observation.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to describe persistence of hypervascularity in proton treated hepatocellular carcinoma at serial follow-up computed tomography (CT).


METHODS
Four patients with unresectable solitary hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma underwent 55-82 Gy proton-beam irradiation for a period of 15-47 days. Follow-up CT including plain, enhanced and dynamic imaging was performed for a period of 9-36 months.


RESULTS
Good preservation of arterial blood supply while gradual decrease in tumour size was clearly depicted by dynamic CT.


CONCLUSIONS
We believe that preservation of hypervascularity as judged by enhancement at CT and magnetic resonance imaging, does not necessarily mean that radiotherapy in hypervascular malignant tumours has been unsuccessful.
Ahmadi
T
T
Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan.
Okumura
T
T
Onaya
H
H
Akine
Y
Y
Itai
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D061766:Proton Therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D011522:Protons
D011522:Protons