Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2005; 11(34): 5401-5403
Published online Sep 14, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i34.5401
Successful treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma by combined administration of 5-fluorouracil and pegylated interferon-α
Kazutaka Kurokohchi, Kouichi Takaguchi, Keiji Kita, Tsutomu Masaki, Shigeki Kuriyama
Kazutaka Kurokohchi, Tsutomu Masaki, Shigeki Kuriyama, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa University School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan
Kouichi Takaguchi, Keiji Kita, Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa Prefectural Central Hospital, 5-4-16 Ban-cho, Takamatsu, Kagawa 760-8557, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Shigeki Kuriyama, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Kagawa University School of Medicine, 1750-1 Ikenobe, Miki-cho, Kita-gun, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan. skuriyam@med.kagawa-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-87-891-2156 Fax: +81-87-891-2158
Received: March 19, 2005
Revised: April 13, 2005
Accepted: April 18, 2005
Published online: September 14, 2005
Abstract

We report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated successfully by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) followed by combination therapy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN-α). In the present case, the patient had massive and advanced HCC with a diameter of over 8 cm located in segment 7 (S7) of the liver. Furthermore, the tumor invaded into the major branch of the portal vein (Vp3). After TACE, combined administration of 5-FU and PEG-IFN-α was performed for 5 mo. HCC was totally eradicated and the serum levels of tumor markers were markedly decreased by the treatment. Although it has been reported that the combined use of conventional IFN-α and 5-FU showed striking effects on HCC in some cases, this case may suggest the more promising effect of PEG-IFN-α with a long-lasting effect, in the combined use with 5-FU for the treatment of massive advanced HCC.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; 5-Fluorouracil; Pegylated interferon-α; Combination therapy