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Hemangiosarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver following vinyl chloride exposure

A report of two cases

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Summary

A report is given of the clinical and autopsy findings of two men who died from malignant liver neoplasm following occupational exposure to vinyl chloride. The first patient was a 44-year-old man with an hemangiosarcoma of the liver, the second patient a 67-year-old man with an hepatocellular carcinoma. So far an hepatocellular carcinoma due to vinyl chloride has not yet been observed in man. Its occurrence, however, has been suggested from the results of animal experiments. The connection of hepatocellular carcinoma with exposure to vinyl chloride is discussed.

Zusammenfassung

Es wird über zwei bösartige Lebererkrankungen nach beruflicher Exposition von Vinylchlorid berichtet. Dabei handelt es sich um ein typisches Haemangiosarkom bei einem 44 Jahre und ein hepatocelluläres Carcinom bei einem 67 Jahre alt gewordenen Chemiearbeiter. Bis jetzt ist ein hepatocelluläres Carcinom nach gesicherter Vinylchloridexposition beim Menschen nicht beobachtet worden. Hepatocelluläre Carcinome nach Vinylchloridexposition waren jedoch aus tierexperimentellen Untersuchungen bekannt und ihr Vorkommen auch beim Menschen vermutet worden.

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Gokel, J.M., Liebezeit, E. & Eder, M. Hemangiosarcoma and hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver following vinyl chloride exposure. Virchows Arch. A Path. Anat. and Histol. 372, 195–203 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00433279

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