Intratumoral injection of absolute ethanol under ultrasound imaging for treatment of small hepatocellular carcinoma-Attempts in three cases-

Abstract

Three patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) smaller than 2cm in size were treated with intratumoral injection of absolute ethanol under ultrasound imaging. Histological examination of the resected specimen obtained from one of the patients revealed complete necrosis of both the tumor and the surrounding parenchyma. In the remaining two patients, the tumor stain disappeared completely on angiograms obtained after the treatment. In one of the two patients, follow-up angiography did not show the tumor stain 8 months after the injection. Side effects were only mild and did not require any specific treatment.
Intratumoral injection of absolute ethanol was effective in the treatment of small HCC and showed the possibility of curative treatment.