Clinical aspects of primary carcinoma of the liver

Abstract

Of 53 patients with primary carcinoma of the liver, 42 were diagnosed by biopsy, liver scan and function studies and 11 were diagnosed only at autopsy. Five tumors were resected, with one 7-year survival. Chemotherapy was employed in 21, using 5-fluorouracil (11 patients), thio-TEPA (4 patients) or various combinations of agents (methotrexate, melphalan, vincristine, 5-FUDR). Average survival time in the treated (21 patients) was 6.3 months, compared with 6.0 months in the untreated (18 patients); no significant difference was demonstrated although antitumor effect was noted in several instances. The results obtained demonstrate that primary liver cancer may be diagnosed sufficiently early to institute treatment but that present therapeutic measures do not appreciably alter the over-all course of this disease.