title: Efficacy of argon-helium cryosurgical ablation on primary hepatocellular carcinoma: a pilot clinical study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent years, great progression has been made in treating primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with argon-helium cryosurgical ablation. This study was to evaluate its efficacy on unresectable primary HCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 primary HCC patients were divided into early stage, middle stage and advanced stage groups according to BCLC staging classification. Clinical symptoms, tumor size, serum level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), complications, and survival time were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After cryoablation of the tumors, serum level of AFP was reduced in 76 (82.6%) patients, 205 (92.3%) of the 222 tumor lesions were diminished or unchanged. Untill April 2008, 14 patients survived and 110 died. The median survival time was 31.25 months in early stage group, 17.41 months in middle stage group and 6.82 months in advanced stage group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the patients with unresectable HCC, argon-helium cryosurgical ablation has the advantages of few complications and certain efficacy.
authors.affiliation: PLA Postgraduate Medical School, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yong-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yong-Yi
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Yin-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Chun-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin-Zhen
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lin-Jing
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fu-Sheng
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001128:Argon; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003452:Cryosurgery / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006371:Helium; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D006371:Helium; D001128:Argon