Combined treatment of hepatoblastoma with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and surgery

Hepatoblastoma (HB) frequently presents at an advanced and unresectable stage. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) had been attempted to improve the feasibility of removing the bulky tumor in the authors' hospital and the results were presented here to evaluate the effectiveness and therapeutic role of TACE in the HB infants. Eight patients (6 boys, 2 girls), ranging in age from 2 months to 12 months, had unresectable HB based on clinical manifestation, B-ultrasound (B-US), chest X-ray film, computed tomography (CT), blood chemistry, and serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and were subjected to TACE 1-3 times. On each TACE, Adriamycin (ADR, 20 mg/m2), vincristine (VCR, 1.5 mg/m2), and cisplatin (CDDP, 40 mg/m2) dispersed in 5-10 mL lipiodol were infused into the tumor, and stainless-steel embolization coils were released into the main feeding artery until completely embolized. Then, all the patients were reexamined once a month. Digital subtractive angiography was performed and the therapeutic strategy of further TACE or surgery was individualized in terms of the changes of tumor stain and the newly forming feeding artery. Six children (75%) had a marked response after the first TACE and were judged as being surgically resectable, but one boy died of pneumonia just before the scheduled operation and another boy preferred further TACE. The other 2 patients had only a partial response and required further TACE before the operation. Thus 6 children eventually underwent complete surgical resection and 1 boy achieved successful disappearance of tumor after 3 episodes of TACE alone. Seven children had an excellent recovery and remained tumor-free for 15-49 months. The results indicate that TACE is an effective and useful preoperative therapeutic choice for unresectable hepatoblastoma, and can improve the resectablity of the bulky tumor and the survival rate of HB patients. Multiple TACE could enhance the therapeutic effect and should be considered if indicated.     

经导管动脉化疗栓塞联合手术治疗儿童肝母细胞瘤

目的 探讨对不能切除的小儿肝母细胞瘤实行动脉化疗栓塞术(TACE)治疗的临床可行性、疗效及作用.方法 8例常规不能切除的肝母细胞瘤经TACE治疗20次,再行Ⅱ期外科手术切除,比较分析治疗前后临床症状、体征和血AFP的变化、术中情况及随访远期疗效.结果 TACE术后4～6周复查,和术前相比.肿瘤体积缩小67.68%～95.91%,平均缩小87.91%(t=3.754,P=0.007),血AFP下降94.46%～99.97%,平均98.45%(t=2.931,P=0.022),无明显的化疗毒性反应,所有患儿手术完整切除肿瘤,术后病理显示肿瘤明显坏死.随访8～24个月,所有患儿均获无瘤生存.结论 TACE治疗肝母细胞瘤安全有效,无严重并发症,能使部分不能Ⅰ期手术的患儿重新获得手术机会,并对减少术中肿瘤细胞的扩散和术中出血、改善预后有较大作用,可作为无远处转移肝母细胞瘤的术前辅助治疗.     

介入栓塞治疗后手术切除肝母细胞瘤

目的 评价介入栓塞对肝母细胞瘤的手术切除率及预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析2006年1月至2011年12月介入栓塞后经手术治疗的肝母细胞瘤33例患儿的临床资料.本组术前予介入栓塞治疗2～4个疗程后,均可手术切除,术后2周均予辅助化疗.结果 所有病例均获得肿瘤的完整切除,手术效果良好,术后随访6个月～5年,存活30例.结论 术前介入栓塞治疗可减少肿瘤血供,缩小肿瘤体积,提高手术切除率,综合治疗后可提高生存率.     

婴儿肝母细胞瘤的介入治疗及延迟手术治疗

目的　评价经动脉栓塞化疗 (TACE)结合延迟手术治疗婴儿巨大肝母细胞瘤的效果。方法　 2 0 0 0年 1月～ 2 0 0 4年 1月不能手术切除的肝母细胞瘤 8例患儿 (男 6例 ,女 2例 )接受 1～ 3次栓塞化疗。年龄 2～ 12个月。每次栓塞化疗前均行数字减影血管造影 (DSA)检查 ,栓塞化疗时首先超选择进入肿瘤的供血动脉 ,经该动脉先灌注化疗药物和超液化碘油的混悬乳液 ,再使用弹簧圈栓塞该肿瘤血管。结果　每次TACE均未遇到任何大技术问题和明显化疗毒性反应。 6例TACE结合手术患儿及经 3次TACE及静脉化疗患儿均无瘤存活至今。另 1例 1个月后死于肺炎。结论　TACE是治疗婴儿肝母细胞瘤有效、安全的方法     

Hepatic arterial chemoembolization as an initial treatment for hepatoblastoma

Hepatic arterial chemoembolization using Lipiodol Ultra-fluid (Laboratoire Guerbet), doxorubicin HCl, and Gelfoam (Upjohn)(L-TAE) produced good results in an infant with a hepatoblastoma initially considered to be difficult to resect. Lipiodol selectively accumulated in the tumor, and a marked reduction in tumor size with decrease of alpha-fetoprotein was observed. One month after L-TAE, left hepatectomy was performed uneventfully with a good postoperative course. L-TAE appears to be a useful treatment for hepatoblastoma. Offprint requests to: I. Yamagiwa     

Preliminary experience with arterial chemoembolization for hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma in children

The objective of this work was to test feasibility and efficacy of hepatic artery chemoembolization (HACE) in unresectable malignant liver tumors. Five patients aged from 1-12 years were treated in the Medical University of Gdansk from 1999 to 2002. All had locally advanced tumors, which did not respond to systemic chemotherapy: four, hepatoblastoma (HB) and one, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Arteriography was performed and chemoembolization suspension (cisplatin + doxorubicin + mitomycin mixed with lipiodol) was injected, followed by gelatin foam particles. The procedure was performed one to three times in each patient. In four patients (three, HB, one, fibrolamellar HCC), tumor response was observed, with decrease in the diameter of the mass of 25-33% and fall in the AFP level of 83-99%. One child with HB was non-evaluable due to early death caused by systemic myelotoxicity. Two patients (2 HB) underwent macroscopically complete tumor resection, 1 is alive and well, and 1 died at the end of surgery for an unknown reason (possibly related to cardiotoxicity of earlier systemic chemotherapy). One HB patient was successfully transplanted after two HACE courses. The only HCC patient died because of pulmonary oil embolism immediately after the third HACE course. HACE can lead to tumor regression in most cases and may be considered an alternative for patients with unresectable liver tumors who do not respond to primary systemic chemotherapy and are not candidates for liver transplantation for various reasons.     

经导管动脉化疗栓塞在肝母细胞瘤综合治疗中的应用评价及文献回顾

目的：探讨经导管动脉化疗栓塞术（TACE ）在肝母细胞瘤综合治疗中的作用及疗效。方法回顾性总结2005年-2013年收治的10例经TACE 治疗的肝母细胞瘤患儿的临床资料。随访治疗后患儿的全身情况、血AFP值及瘤体体积大小的变化及生存情况。结果患儿10例,男女比例4∶1,发病中位年龄9.5个月（1个月～10岁）,10例患儿首诊后均予以1～4次TACE 治疗,其中6例TACE＋手术＋化疗,1例TACE＋化疗,3例在TACE 治疗后放弃继续治疗。介入治疗后肿瘤体积较前均有明显缩减（26.2％～10.00％,平均70.0％）,血清AFP值下降明显（28.5％～99.7％,平均83.6％）。所有患儿在接受TACE 治疗后均出现不同程度的发热、呕吐、一过性肝功能损害（Ⅰ度3例,Ⅱ度2例,Ⅲ度1例）、轻度骨髓抑制、贫血等不适,未见明显心脏毒性及肾毒性损害。随访时间2～114个月,平均随访时间为36.1个月,1年存活率100％（7／7）,2年存活率86％（6／7）,3年存活率71％（5／7）。6例患儿在接受TACE治疗后成功行手术切除,术后均接受全身化疗,1例仅经过4次TACE治疗及化疗后肿瘤消失,未行手术治疗,均无瘤存活至今。3例放弃治疗患儿分别于2～8个月后死亡。结论 TACE治疗可作为肝母细胞瘤术前重要的辅助治疗方式,能够使肿瘤体积明显缩小,血供减少,促进肿瘤包膜增厚,为尽可能完整切除创造了条件,能够改善肝母细胞瘤患儿的生活质量,提高长期存活率。     

Preoperative chemoembolization for unresectable hepatoblastoma

 Complete surgical resection offers the only chance for cure in patients with hepatoblastoma (HB). Patients with unresectable lesions are given preoperative chemotherapy in an attempt to create a resectable lesion. We present a case of an 11-month-old with an unresectable stage III HB unresponsive to systemic chemotherapy. Transfemoral hepatic-artery chemoembolization resulted in a surgically resectable tumor. The patient underwent a right trisegmentectomy with complete resection of the tumor and remains tumor-free 24 months postoperatively. Salvage chemoembolization can be an effective preoperative modality to convert an unresectable tumor into a resectable one. Accepted: 19 January 2001     

Combination chemotherapy and chemoembolization in the treatment of primary inoperable hepatoblastoma

A 33 months old girl and a 5 months old boy presented with unresectable hepatoblastoma (group III) and were treated with combination chemotherapy using Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide, Cisplatinum (regimen I) and Adriamycin, Etoposide, Cisplatinum (regimen II). In both patients tumor size and alpha-fetoprotein levels decreased remarkably. Tumor regression was considerably enhanced by selective chemoembolization (Ethibloc, Adriamycin) of the right hepatic artery in one patient. After preoperative chemotherapy hepatoblastomas could be removed surgically. Local recurrence in the older patient was treated again successfully by surgery and chemotherapy. The patients are surviving disease-free 17 and 28 months from diagnosis. The efficacy of the treatment warrants prospective clinical trials in patients with unresectable hepatoblastoma.     

Intrahepatic arterial injections of cisplatin-phosphatidylcholine-Lipiodol suspension in two unresectable hepatoblastoma cases

Two cases with unresectable hepatoblastoma were treated by intrahepatic arterial injections of cisplatin-phosphatidylcholine-Lipiodol suspension (CPLS), combined with systemic chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the first patient who was given three injections of CPLS in association with systemic chemotherapy died of progressive disease 18 months after the commencement of the therapy. However, the second patient who received about 1 year of systemic chemotherapy followed by three injections of CPLS prior to subtotal tumor resection, plus four injections after surgery, is now alive and healthy 22 months after the commencement of treatment, with no detectable serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), although the AFP level on admission was 695,000 ng/ml. In the surgical specimens of case 2, there were areas with Lipiodol deposits rich in platinum and replaced by marked fibrosis around necrotic tumor nodules. Intrahepatic arterial injection of CPLS in combination with systemic chemotherapy and surgery should be considered as an effective method for unresectable cases.     

Metastatic paraganglioma and paraneoplastic-induced anemia in an adolescent: treatment with hepatic arterial chemoembolization

Mediastinal paragangliomas are rare neoplasms in children. Anemia, as a paraneoplastic syndrome, has been described in adults with metastatic paraganglioma. The management of paraneoplastic anemia from metastatic paraganglioma has been problematic, with no reports in the literature describing successful treatment. This article describes a 17-year-old Jehovah's Witness with a mediastinal paraganglioma, hepatic metastases, and severe anemia. The patient and his family refused blood products and the anemia was refractory to erythropoietin and elemental iron therapy. Serial chemoembolization of the hepatic lesions resulted in resolution of the anemia, allowing subsequent debulking of the mediastinal paraganglioma.     

Hypoglycemia in a child with hepatoblastoma

A five-year-old boy with hepatoblastoma, who showed a severe hypoglycemia as an initial symptom, was studied. After resection of tumors, hypoglycemia disappeared and did not recur despite recurrence of tumor. A high concentration of insulin-like activity (ILA) was found in preoperative serum and in the tumor extract. Hypoglycemia in this patient seemed to depend mainly on ILA and in part on liver enzyme activities related to carbohydrate metabolism.     

Survival trends in children with hepatoblastoma

Purpose  Hepatoblastoma (HB) is a relatively rare pediatric malignancy. In this study, we present demographic data and a survival analysis from the largest patient cohort with HB reported to date. Methods  The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database was queried from 1973 to 2005 for all patients diagnosed with HB. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was conducted to determine actuarial survival. Cox regression analysis was performed to determine hazard ratios (HR) for prognostic variables. Results   During the study period, 459 patients with HB were identified. Overall 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for the entire patient cohort were 76, 63, and 60%, respectively. Five-year survival improved over time from 36 (1973–1982) to 63% (1983–2005). Predictors of poor survival include: age 2 years and greater (HR 1.566), black race (HR 1.910), diagnosis prior to 1983 (HR 3.327), inability to perform surgical resection (HR 3.857), regional disease (HR 1.939), and distant disease (HR 3.196). Conclusions  Hepatoblastoma continues to challenge surgeons and oncologists. Most children are diagnosed early in life and undergo surgical resection whenever possible. With the advent of efficacious chemotherapy, survival has improved. Older children, black patients, and those who present with advanced disease tend to have poor outcomes. Surgical resection is the single most important predictor of survival.     

Radiological staging in children with hepatoblastoma

Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant liver tumour of childhood. Accurate radiological staging is very important, especially in children who are treated according to the protocols of the International Childhood Liver Tumor Strategy Group (SIOPEL). These protocols use risk stratification, based almost entirely on imaging findings, to minimize the treatment for localized tumours and to intensify treatment for extensive tumours and those with extrahepatic spread.     

Recurrent hepatoblastoma with localization by PET-CT

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver tumor in children, accounting for 79% of pediatric liver malignancies in children younger than 15 years, with most cases reported before the age of 5 years. Localization of primary and recurrent disease is necessary for appropriate clinical decision-making and treatment. We present a case of recurrent hepatoblastoma heralded by rising alpha-fetoprotein levels. After unsuccessful localization by conventional CT and MRI, positron emission tomography CT imaging localized the sites of recurrence.     

Therapeutic experience with hepatoblastoma associated with trisomy 18

Trisomy 18 is often fatal, but patients with this disease can now have longer survival due to proactive treatment intervention. However, hepatoblastomas may develop in these patients. In this study, we report four cases of hepatoblastoma associated with trisomy 18. All of the patients had congenital heart disease and three had undergone intracardiac surgical repair. Tumor growth was relatively slow in all cases, and there were no problems with chemotherapy tolerability and surgical resection. Three of the patients are currently disease‐free and the fourth is alive with remaining of the tumor. These cases suggest that combined chemotherapy and surgical resection may be an option to treat hepatoblastoma associated with trisomy 18 when cardiac pulmonary function is relatively stable.     

High-dose chemotherapy in children with metastatic hepatoblastoma

BACKGROUND: Despite the advent of effective chemotherapy,a poor prognosis has been reported for patients with metastatic hepatoblastoma. To improve this prognosis, we conducted high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow rescue in patients with metastatic hepatoblastoma. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three patients were treated with high-dose chemotherapy. In patient 1, high-dose chemotherapy was given after the patient's first pulmonary relapse.Additional pulmonary metastases, which developed more than 6 months after high-dose chemotherapy, were treated by multiple thoracotomy without additional chemotherapy. Patient 2 presented additional pulmonary metastases soon after the end of the first thoracotomy and high-dose chemotherapy. Because of a decreased serum alpha-fetoprotein level after re-excision of the pulmonary metastases, a second round of high-dose chemotherapy was performed. In patient 3, multiple pulmonary metasteses responded to preoperative chemotherapy and disappeared according to the chest computed tomography. Intensive treatment with a high-dose chemotherapeutic regimen was performed at the end of postoperative chemotherapy. All three patients are alive and well, more than 6 years after receiving their diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The role of high-dose chemotherapy in treatment of metastatic hepatoblastoma could not be clarified,because of the small number of patients. However, the better outcome of our patients indicates that multimodal therapy, including high-dose chemotherapy, may improve the outcome of the patients with metastatic hepatoblastoma.     

14例儿童肝母细胞瘤综合治疗的疗效观察

目的：肝母细胞瘤是儿童时期最为常见的原发性肝脏恶性肿瘤。新辅助化疗﹢手术﹢术后化疗已成为肝母细胞瘤治疗的基本原则。该文旨在总结肝母细胞瘤综合治疗的疗效,进而探讨合理治疗的策略。方法：回顾性分析14例儿童肝母细胞瘤患者的临床资料,并追踪随访其治疗后的生存状况。结果：12例肝母细胞瘤患儿接受全程治疗,中位随访时间为18个月（1.5~74月）。9例无瘤存活,1例死亡,1例肿瘤转移,1例未发现肿瘤残留但术后甲胎蛋白持续不降。结论：手术及规范化疗能有效提高儿童肝母细胞瘤患者的生存率。［中国当代儿科杂志,2009,11（6）：456-459］