PRIMARY CARCINOMA OF THE LIVER

Abstract

The comparative rarity of primary carcinoma of the liver is shown by the figures of Rowen and Mallory, 1 who found 7 instances of this condition in 6,506 consecutive autopsies. Orth 2 found 4 cases of primary carcinoma of the liver in 258 cases of hepatic cancer and in 713 cases of cancer of all types. Goldzieher and Bokay 3 encountered this disease 18 times in 6,000 necropsies. Hansemann 4 and Rindfleisch 5 concluded from their studies that primary carcinoma of the liver represents about 0.5 per cent of all cancers. Ewing 6 stated that metastasis occurs infrequently. Of 163 cases of primary carcinoma of the liver studied by Eggel, 7 46, or 28 per cent, showed no extensions, and in 50, or 30 per cent, metastasis was limited to the branches of the hepatic or the portal veins. The lungs were the most frequent extrahepatic site of metastasis. The great infrequency with which tumor thrombosis