Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Marked clinical improvement in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by surgical removal of extended tumor mass in right atrium and pulmonary arteries

  • Clinical Aspects in the Treatment for Operable and Session I. Surgery, Combined Modalities and Others I. 1. Surgery
  • Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Tumor Thrombus
  • Published:
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Two patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma presented severe exertional dyspnea because of extension of a tumor into the right side of the heart. Removable of the tumor thrombus by open-heart surgery ameliorated the symptoms in each case, but their subsequent courses differed considerably. One patient survived for as long as 8 months thanks to successive multidisciplinary treatments, whereas the other patient died suddenly 1 month after the surgery. The first patient's hepatocellular carcinoma was more differentiated, and the dyspnea was caused by a low cardiac output due to the intracardiac tumor mass, not by pulmonary embolism as in the second patient's case. We conclude that successive multidisciplinary treatments to control the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma is the most important approach and is indispensable for improving the prognosis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

HBV:

hepatitis B virus

TAE:

transarterial embolization

AFP:

α-fetoprotein

PIVKA:

protein induced by vitamin K absence

FDP:

fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products

CT:

computerized tomography

MRI:

magnetic resonance imaging

References

  1. Dazai Y, Katoh T, Katoh I, Sueda S, Yoshida R (1989) Effectiveness of chemoembolization therapy for metastatic right atrial tumor thrombus associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Chest 96: 434

    Google Scholar 

  2. Fujisaki M, Kurihara E, Kikuchi K, Nishikawa K (1991) Hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombus extending into the right atrium: report of a successful resection with the use of cardiopulmonary bypass. Surgery 109: 214

    Google Scholar 

  3. Kato Y, Tanaka N, Kobayashi K, Ikeda T (1983) Growth of hepatocellular carcinoma into the right atrium. Ann Intern Med 99: 472

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshiyuki Maruyama

  2. Division of Thoracic Surgery, National Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

    Hideo Okabe

  3. Division of Pathology, National Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

    Suguru Maekawa

  4. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Teruaki Oka

  5. Division of Surgery, National Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan

    Masayoshi Tani

  6. Division of Gastroenterology, National Medical Center, 1-21-1, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, 162, Tokyo, Japan

    Naohiko Masaki, Shigeki Hayashi, Masaya Matsukawa, Jun Unno, Kei Matsueda & Noritsugu Umeda

Authors
  1. Naohiko Masaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Shigeki Hayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Toshiyuki Maruyama
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Hideo Okabe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Masaya Matsukawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jun Unno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Suguru Maekawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Teruaki Oka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Masayoshi Tani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Kei Matsueda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Noritsugu Umeda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Masaki, N., Hayashi, S., Maruyama, T. et al. Marked clinical improvement in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by surgical removal of extended tumor mass in right atrium and pulmonary arteries. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 33 (Suppl 1), S7–S11 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00686660

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00686660

Keywords

Search

Navigation