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The effectiveness of particle radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus

  • Original Article—Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
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Abstract

Background

The prognosis of patients who have hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus (IVCTT) is very poor, and effective treatment modalities are extremely limited. The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic efficacy of particle radiotherapy for HCC with IVCTT.

Methods

Between June 2001 and January 2009, 16 evaluable patients who had HCC with IVCTT were treated with particle radiotherapy. They were divided into 2 groups: 6 were treated with curative intent; 10 with palliative intent. The local tumor control rates, overall survival rates, and toxicities were evaluated.

Results

All tumors treated with particle radiotherapy remained controlled without local recurrence at the last follow-up. The overall survival rates for the 16 patients at 1 and 3 years were 61.1 and 36.7%, respectively. We observed a significant difference in the survival rates according to treatment policy. The median survival time was 25.4 months for patients treated with curative intent and 7.7 months for those treated with palliative intent. The one-year survival rates were 100.0 and 33.3%, respectively. No Grade 3 or higher treatment-related toxicities were observed.

Conclusions

Particle radiotherapy is thought to be potentially effective and safe for HCC with IVCTT. Considering the current lack of effective and less-invasive local therapy for HCC with IVCTT, particle radiotherapy may therefore be an attractive new therapeutic approach for this type of HCC.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants-in-aid for Scientific Research from The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan to Y. Hori (C) (21591773), Y. Ku (C) (20591611), and M. Murakami (B) (22390234), and by grants for the Global Center of Excellence Program for Education and Research on Signal Transduction Medicine in the Coming Generation “Bringing up clinician-scientists in the alliance between basic and clinical medicine” (to Y.K.). The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017, Japan

    Shohei Komatsu, Takumi Fukumoto, Isamu Yamada, Yuichi Hori & Yonson Ku

  2. Department of Radiology, Hyogo Ion Beam Medical Center, 1-2-1 Kouto, Shingu-cho, Tatsuno, Hyogo, 679-5165, Japan

    Yusuke Demizu, Kazuki Terashima, Yasue Niwa, Masayuki Mima, Osamu Fujii, Yoshio Hishikawa, Mitsuyuki Abe & Masao Murakami

  3. Division of Radiation Oncology, Department of Radiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-cho, Chuo-ku, Kobe, 650-0017, Japan

    Daisuke Miyawaki & Ryohei Sasaki

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  1. Shohei Komatsu
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  2. Takumi Fukumoto
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  13. Mitsuyuki Abe
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Correspondence to Takumi Fukumoto.

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Komatsu, S., Fukumoto, T., Demizu, Y. et al. The effectiveness of particle radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus. J Gastroenterol 46, 913–920 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0398-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0398-6

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