Primary cancer of the liver. Evaluation, treatment, and prognosis
W. V. McDermott, B. Cady, B. Georgi, G. Steele Jr and U. Khettry
Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Between 1970 and 1985, a diagnosis of primary hepatocellular carcinoma was
established in 98 patients. Sixty-one cases developed in the presence of
chronic liver disease, and only six of these were considered resectable. Of
these, the median survival was 19 months. There was one perioperative
death. Of the 98 tumors, 37 arose in normal livers. Of the 16 patients with
tumors in normal livers that were resected, all survived operation. The
long-term median survival was 32 months. Two subsets of the fibrolamellar
and clear-cell variants appeared to carry a more favorable prognosis.
