Repeated courses of transarterial embolization with polyvinyl alcohol particles: 'long life elixir' in a cirrhotic patient with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Chemoembolization improves survival in selected cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but prolonged survival is unusual. In this study, a 70-year-old cirrhotic patient, who had a histologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma of 5 cm diameter, embolization with polyvinyl alcohol particles alone, without chemotherapeutic agent, has resulted in continued survival, of 5 years to date, with virtual elimination of residual hypervascularity following 10 sessions of embolization, and with continued patency of the injected branch of the hepatic artery. Provided liver function is maintained, embolization alone appears a feasible long term and effective therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
Marelli
Laura
L
Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Medicine Unit, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
Shusang
Vibhakorn
V
Senzolo
Marco
M
Cholongitas
Evangelos
E
Goode
Antony
A
Yu
Dominic
D
Patch
David W
DW
Burroughs
Andrew K
AK
D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D006499:Hepatic Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010316:Particle Size; D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol; D017741:Survivors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol