| Abstract: | Between July 1955 and December 1980, 536
pathologically confirmed primary liver carcinoma
cases underwent abdominal exploration at the Liver
Cancer Research Unit, Zhongshan Medical College.
Among them, 114 had various types of hepatectomy,
with a 21.3To resectability rate and an operative mor
tality of 11.4Tv. The l-, 3-, 5 and 10-year survival
rates were 58.6To, 32.1'/o, 23.1To and 21.4'70. Of the
114 resections, 14 had small tumors measuring 5 cm
or less in diameter. The survival rates in the group
were 100%, 74.60'/o and 59.670 for l-, 3- and 5-year
survivals. Six survived more than 10 years, five have
been living and well for 11 years and 9 months, 13
years and 11 months, 16 years and 2 months, 17
years and 9 months, and 21 years and 10 months
respectively after operation. All are able to work.
One little girl with primary hepatocellular carcino-
ma with a left hemi-hepatectomy and removal of a
tumor weighing l.2 kilograms at age of 4 years and
7 months, is now a healthy young woman of 22
years and 4 months of age with normal development
and normal working capacity. One patient died of
recurrence of liver cancer and wide-spread metastases
1I years and one month after the operation.
Factors influencing Iong-term results of hepatec
tomies for primary liver cancer are analysed and
discussed in the paper.
From our 28 years of clinical experience, we be-
lieve that the key to improving results of surgical
treatment of primary liver cancer lies in early detec
tion, early diagnosis, early and complete removal of
the primary liver cancer and limitation of the resec
tion to within 40% of total liver substance. Hepa-
tectomy with resection exceeding 40% t0 5010 0f the
liver in patients with primary liver carunoma asso
ciated with moderate to severe cirrhosis usually re-
sults in fatality. |
