The factors that contribute to the effect of portal vein embolization before hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma are unclear. Sixty-six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in the study. Changes in liver function, portal vein pressure, and liver volume after embolization were examined. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify factors that independently contributed to the effects of portal vein embolization. The acceptable volume ratio of the remnant liver was calculated from liver function and compared with the volume ratio of the non-embolized liver. No postoperative deaths were observed after portal vein embolization or hepatectomy. Serum total bilirubin and prothrombin time did not change significantly after portal vein embolization. In patients who underwent arterial embolization before portal vein embolization, aminotransferase levels increased significantly. The only factor that could significantly predict the atrophy effects of portal vein embolization was previous arterial embolization. The volume ratio of the non-embolized liver was smaller than the acceptable volume ratio of the remnant liver in 18 of 40 patients and increased over the acceptable volume ratio in all cases after portal vein embolization. Portal vein embolization induced atrophy or hypertrophy of the embolized or non-embolized liver sufficiently, even when the liver was dysfunctional or cirrhotic. The atrophy effects were significant, especially when arterial embolization had been performed before portal vein embolization.

Palliative surgery can be performed effectively for patients without ascites. For patients who do not meet this criterion, a non-surgical procedure may be preferable.

Abstract. Sorafenib is a kinase-targeted drug that has high efficacy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to determine whether sorafenib is more effective than hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) for HCC. Twenty patients treated with sorafenib (sorafenib group) initiated at 800 mg/day and 45 patients treated with HAIC (HAIC group) for unresectable Child-Pugh A advanced HCC were investigated retrospectively. The treatment effect was assessed using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). As a result, the overall response rate was significantly lower in the sorafenib group than in the HAIC group (P=0.03), while the disease control and survival rates did not differ between the two groups. In the sorafenib group, treatment was discontinued in 19 patients, including 12 due to side effects. In subgroups of patients treated with sorafenib, the survival rate was significantly lower in patients (n=11) administered sorafenib for <60 days compared to those (n=9) treated for ≥60 days. A shorter treatment period (<60 days) was an independent risk factor for unfavorable survival [hazard ratio (HR), 3.34; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.45-7.66 vs. HAIC], while survival in patients treated with sorafenib for ≥60 days did not differ from those treated with HAIC (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.27-2.34). In conclusion, the disease control and survival rates of patients treated with sorafenib for advanced HCC were comparable to such rates in patients treated with HAIC.However, the prognosis was poor when long-term sorafenib treatment was not possible due to side effects, demonstrating the importance of patient selection for sorafenib treatment.

Curative resections were performed on 121 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma from 1975 to 1986 at Kyushu University Hospital, Japan. Up to August 1987 there was a recurrence in 41, detected between 4 and 86 (mean 20) months after surgery. Intrahepatic recurrences were the most common (82 per cent). There was no statistically significant correlation between size of the primary tumour and interval from surgery to detection of recurrence (r = -0.09). Serial measurement of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was useful for the detection of recurrences. However, the levels of AFP seem to be a non-specific, unreliable test for such patients since this tumour marker showed different ranges before the primary surgery and at the time of recurrence in 5 of the 41 patients (12 per cent). Postoperative chemotherapy with oral 5-fluorouracil had no apparent preventative effect on the recurrence. A second curative resection was effective in four patients, and three survived for over 2 years; the longest survival time is 9 years after the second procedure.

These results suggest that tolvaptan may provide high response rates when used early in the course of hepatic edema, or when both hepatic and renal functions are still retained, leading to an improved disease prognosis.