title: Successful treatment of multifocal unresectable hepatoblastoma with chemotherapy only.
abstract: We report the case of a girl with multi-focal hepatoblastoma in whom chemotherapy alone has resulted in long term event-free survival and possibly cure, without any surgical procedure apart from biopsy for initial diagnosis. At presentation she had a large tumour arising from the left lobe of liver and two other separate masses were noted in the right lobe, but the lungs were free of metastases. Histology showed a foetal type of hepatoblastoma. The serum alpha-feto protein (AFP) level was 44,000 iu/litre. Chemotherapy was started using the triple drug regime recommended for "high risk" (of relapse) patients in the SIOPEL 2 hepatoblastoma protocol of the International Society of Paedaitric Oncology (SIOP). Within a few weeks her abdominal girth decreased, the child became much more comfortable. Drug-induced cardiotoxicity, ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity were not observed. After a total of 4 courses of chemotherapy (completed at the end of August 1998) a CT scan showed that all 3 tumours were smaller but that there were residual multifocal defects in the liver neither hepatic resection nor liver transplantation were considered safe or appropriate. 6.5 years after completion of chemotherapy and now aged 8.5 years the child is in normal health and at school with normal liver size, serum AFP levels and chest imaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology, Middlesex Hospital, London, UK. asimrana@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Asim Noor
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.forename: Asim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Qidwai
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: M Shamvil
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ashraf
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D018197:Hepatoblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012074:Remission Induction; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D003609:Dactinomycin; D014750:Vincristine