| [ Summary ] |
Various modalities have been established for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Surgical treatment has evolved as a curative method and postoperative mortality and morbidity after liver surgery has drastically improved along with progress in diagnostic imaging and operative techniques. The prognosis and overall QOL has improved for patients with good liver function (Clinical Stage I). However, patients with liver cirrhosis are unable to tolerate surgery and have a high risk of recurrence, including multicentric occurrences.Conservative therapy, such as transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), percutaneous ethanol injection therapy(PEIT),and micro-wave coagulo-necrotic therapy (MCN) are now commonly used as regional and minimal invasive therapies for treatment of HCC. TAE and MCN achieved especially good clinical results in cases having small HCC. Surgical resection, or a non(-) Surgicai minimal invasive approach, remains a controversial issue from the stand points of prognosis and QOL. Therapeutic strategies of various modalities for HCC should be selected for the most favorable prognosis, along with informed consent and the best QOL for each patient. |