BACKGROUND: Although resection is the major treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the high intrahepatic recurrence remains a cardinal cause of death. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy on the survival and recurrence of HCC patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) cirrhosis after resection.
METHODS: Twenty-eight patients who had undergone placement of a hepatic arterial pump at the time of liver wedge resection for HCC from 1998 through 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. These patients aged 23-71 years had HBV cirrhosis (Child-Pugh class A or B). They were given floxuridine (FUDR) (250 mg), doxorubicin (10 mg) and mitomycin C (4 mg) alternatively every 2 or 3 days through arterial pumps for 8 cycles each year in the first two years after resection. Meanwhile, traditional Chinese herbal medicine was prescribed to the patients. When the leucocyte count was as low as 3×109/L or asparate aminotransferase (AST) level was significantly increased, the regimen of chemotherapy was delayed for the normalization of leucocyte count and AST level (below 80 U/L).
RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 23 received 8 or 16 cycles of the set regimen of chemotherapy. These patients are alive with no evidence of recurrence. Among them, 5, 7, and 11 patients are alive beyond 5 years, 3 years, and 1 year respectively. In the remaining 5 patients, 3 who had had a HCC 10 cm or more in diameter showed tumor recurrence within 1 year, in whom, 8 cycles of chemotherapy were not completed because of their low leucocyte count (<3×109/L) and poor liver function. One patient who had received 8 cycles of chemotherapy demonstrated recurrence at 16 months after resection.  One patient who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy had intrahepatic recurrence at 58 months after surgery. No recurrence was observed in 17 patients who had received 16 cycles of chemotherapy.
CONCLUSION: Adjuvant hepatic arterial chemotherapy may be feasible to improve the survival of patients after resection of solitary HCC associated with HBV cirrhosis.