| Abstract: | 407 cases of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurring from 1970 to March 1985, including 107 cases receiving conservative therapy, 176 cases receiving one-shot therapy and 124 cases receiving transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) therapy, were studied and the efficacy of chemotherapy was compared with that of TAE therapy. The results were as follows; One-year survival rate was 2.8% with a median survival time of 1.3 months in conservative therapy. In the 176 cases of one-shot therapy, one-year survival rate was 21.0%, two-year 6.8% and three-year 2.3% and the median survival time was 4.8% months. In 120 cases of one-shot therapy which were compatible with criteria for one-shot injection of anticancer drugs via the hepatic artery for HCC, one-year survival rate was 30%. However the rate was 1.8% in 56 cases which were not compatible with the criteria. In 37 cases in which Mitomycin C (MMC) and Adriamycin (ADR) were administered alternately, one-year survival rate was 41.7%, two-year 16.1% and three-year 4.3%. The highest survival rate was obtained by TAE therapy. One-year survival rate was 66.9%, two-year 33.8% and three-year 28.9%. Decrease of AFP after therapy was noted in 42.4% of cases given one-shot therapy and in 95.2% of cases given TEA therapy. The results suggest that alternate administration of anticancer agents produces good chemotherapeutic effects and that the best life-prolongation is obtained by TAE therapy. |
