[Efficacy of CT-guided intra-tumoral dehydrated ethanol injection on lung metastasis from liver cancer].
OBJECTIVE
Lung is the most common organ to which liver cancer cells transfer. For the patients only with lung metastases whose primary liver cancers were in good control, treatment efficacy on lung metastasis is a crucial prognosis factor. This study was to evaluate the efficacy of CT-guided intra-tumoral dehydrated ethanol injection on lung metastasis from liver cancer.


METHODS
From Aug. 2004 to Sep. 2006, 17 patients with 37 lung metastatic lesions, whose primary liver cancers were in good control after operation or transcatheter artery chemoembolization (TACE), received CT-guided intra-tumoral dehydrated ethanol injection at Cancer Center of Sun Yat-sen University. Chest and abdominal CT scan was applied to evaluate clinical efficacy at 8 weeks after the procedure.


RESULTS
On the chest and abdominal CT scan images of the 37 lesions, 31 showed no enlargement and no enhancement, with ethanol deposited completely in 26 lesions and ethanol deposited well in 5 lesions; 6 lesions showed enlargement or obvious ethanol loss, with enhancement on contrast CT scan image. All primary liver cancers were in good control during follow-up. The effective rate was 83.8%. The 1-year survival rate was 64.2%. Seven patients were still alive; the longest survival time was more than 2 years. Pneumothorax appeared in 2 patients with lung compressed by less than 30% and self restored 3 days after pneumothorax drainage procedure. No other severe complications were seen.


CONCLUSIONS
CT-guided intra-tumoral dehydrated ethanol injection in treating lung metastasis from liver cancer is an effective, micro-invasive method with few complications.
Gu
Yang-Kui
YK
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P. R. China.
Fan
Wei-Jun
WJ
Huang
Jin-Hua
JH
Zhang
Liang
L
Gao
Fei
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015552:Injections, Intralesional; D007459:Iodized Oil; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015996:Survival Rate; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult
D000431:Ethanol; D007459:Iodized Oil