Effect of a new adjuvant systemic interferon alpha, 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin on advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with macroscopic portal invasion.
OBJECTIVE
Despite an adequate hepatic resection, theprognosis of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that have macroscopic tumor thrombus in the portal vein has still been poor. The prognosis of those patients and was investigated the significance of postoperative adjuvant therapy was discussed in this study.


METHODS
Twenty five patients who had Vp2 or more portal invasion were included in this study. Those patients were retrospectively divided into 2 groups: the systemic interferon alpha, 5-Fluorouracil (FU) and cisplatin group (n = 10, IFN+ chemo group); and the no adjuvant therapy group (n = 15, control group).


RESULTS
The overall survival rate was significantly higher in the IFN+chemo group compared with the control group. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in regard to the disease-free survival rate. However, a difference in the recurrence pattern was observed between the 2 groups. In the IFN+chemo group, 3 of 6 patients with a recurrence had a single tumor in the remnant liver. While in the control group, 10 of 11 recurrent patients had either distant metastasis or multiple recurrences in the residual liver.


CONCLUSIONS
Our new adjuvant systemic therapy including interferon alpha, 5FU and cisplatin for advanced HCC with macroscopic portal invasion is promising.
Imura
Satoru
S
Department of Digestive and Pediatric Surgery, Institute of Health Bioscience, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
Ikemoto
Tetsuya
T
Morine
Yuji
Y
Fujii
Masahiko
M
Miyake
Hidenori
H
Tashiro
Seiki
S
Shimada
Mitsuo
M
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011169:Portal Vein; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil