title: Repeated courses of transarterial embolization with polyvinyl alcohol particles: 'long life elixir' in a cirrhotic patient with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Liver Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Medicine Unit, Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marelli
authors.forename: Vibhakorn
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Shusang
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senzolo
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cholongitas
authors.forename: Antony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goode
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Patch
authors.forename: Andrew K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Burroughs
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D011142:Polyvinyl Alcohol