Abstract
Fourteen patients with hepatoblastoma were treated at Gunma University Hospital and Gunma Children's Hospital Medical Center between 1966 and December 1992. The ages of the patients, 13 boys and 1 girl, ranged from 2 months to 10 years (median 1 year). The tumor was stage I in 2 patients, II in 5, IIIA in 2, IIIB in 4, and IV in one patient. The histological type was well differentiated in 6 and poorly differentiated in 4 (unknown in 4). Macroscopically, the tumor was resected in 9 of 11 patients who underwent operation. Intraarterial infusion of adriamycin or mitomycin C was done in 5 patients and embolization of the hepatic artery was also performed in 3. Chemotherapy was used in 11 patients but radiation (16-40Gy) only in 3. At the time of evaluation, January 1993, 7 out of 9 patients whose tumor was resected survived without any evidence of disease. Six patients died of disease between 1 and 8 months after treatment. One patient died of recurrent disease 5 years after treatment. Postoperative complications included portal hypertension with esophageal varices. Hemihypertrophy was observed in 2 patients.
