Targeted chemotherapy for unresectable primary and metastatic liver cancer.

In targeted chemotherapy, Lipiodol Ultrafluid was used as a carrier of anticancer drugs; these combinations were termed oily anticancer agents. Arterial injection therapy with these oily anticancer agents was performed in 330 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 110 patients with unresectable metastatic liver cancer. The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level decreased in 178 of 186 AFP-positive patients with HCC. Tumor size was reduced in 256 of 269 evaluable patients with HCC. The treatment seemed to prolong survival and in 193 HCC patients who were good candidates for therapy (those without Child C liver cirrhosis, without tumor occupying all four segments of the liver, or without extrahepatic spread) the 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 85, 52, and 34% respectively. In the 110 patients with metastatic liver cancer, the carcinoembryonic antigen level and tumor size were reduced. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates of these 110 patients were 61, 32, and 22% respectively.