Hepatocellular carcinoma responding to chemotherapy with 5-FU.
A 69-year-old man with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma and portal vein tumor thrombus was treated by chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil. A dose of 500 mg/day of 5-fluorouracil was continuously administered via a central venous catheter. After 4 months, the alpha-fetoprotein level was decreased from 50,000 ng/mL to 4,760 ng/mL. Computed tomography revealed disappearance of the low-density area in the liver parenchyma, but the portal vein tumor thrombus was not changed. After 6 months, pancytopenia appeared and continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil was stopped. After 8 months, the patient died of pneumonia, at which time the alpha-fetoprotein level was 12,000 ng/mL. Continuous intravenous infusion of 5-Fluorouracil was effective against unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma, but had little influence on portal vein tumor thrombus.
Yoshida
H
H
First Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
Onda
M
M
Tajiri
T
T
Umehara
M
M
Mamada
Y
Y
Taniai
N
N
Kaneko
M
M
Mizuguchi
Y
Y
Uchida
E
E
Yamashita
K
K
Uchida
E
E
D000368:Aged; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011169:Portal Vein / Q000473:pathology; D013927:Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D005472:Fluorouracil