Regression of hepatocellular carcinoma during vitamin K administration.
An 85-year-old man with HCV infection and diabetes mellitus was diagnosed as having hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, 13 cm in diameter) based on high serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), AFP-L3, and des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin levels as well as typical enhancement pattern on contrast-enhanced CT. The patient did not receive any interventional treatments because of advanced age and the advanced stage of HCC. He chose to take vitamin K, which was reported to suppress the growth of HCC in vitro. Three months after starting vitamin K, all three tumor markers were normalized and HCC was markedly regressed, showing no enhancement in the early arterial phase on CT. Here we present the report describing the regression of HCC during the administration of vitamin K.
Nouso
Kazuhiro
K
Department of Internal Medicine, Hiroshima City Hospital, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-city, Hiroshima 730-8518, Japan. nouso@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
Uematsu
Shuji
S
Shiraga
Kunihiro
K
Okamoto
Ryoichi
R
Harada
Ryo
R
Takayama
Shoko
S
Kawai
Wakako
W
Kimura
Shigeru
S
Ueki
Toru
T
Okano
Nobuaki
N
Nakagawa
Masahiro
M
Mizuno
Motowo
M
Araki
Yasuyuki
Y
Shiratori
Yasushi
Y
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D014812:Vitamin K