Search

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare pediatric malignancy that is usually advanced at diagnosis, with a relatively poor prognosis. Extensive treatment, including complete tumor resection, is believed to be necessary for cure. This study was performed to analyze treatment results and to search for prognostic factors of pediatric HCC.Between March 1982 and February 2004 a total of 16 children had been diagnosed as having HCC in our institution, and a retrospective analysis was performed.The median age at diagnosis was 10.5 years, and the male/female ratio was 11:5. As a predisposing condition, hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections were present in 11 (68.8%) and liver cirrhosis in 8 (50.0%). Including 1 patient with a liver transplant, 4 patients (25.0%) underwent a primary operation with complete tumor resection, and 11 (68.8%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy because of their inoperable state at diagnosis. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, complete tumor resection was performed in four (36.4%). Thus complete resection was undertaken in a total of eight patients (50.0%). The estimated 5-year survival rate of all patients was 27.3%. The 5-year survival rate for patients who underwent complete tumor resection was 62.5%, and for those who underwent palliative resection or no operation it was 0%. The statistically significant prognostic factors were tumor stage, presence of metastasis, and complete tumor resection.This study confirmed that complete tumor resection is essential for cure in pediatric patients with HCC, and neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves the tumors' resectability.

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of bipolar radiofrequency ablation (RFA) using cooled-wet electrodes inducing coagulation in ex vivo bovine livers and in in vivo canine livers. In ex vivo experiments, 20 coagulations were created by monopolar (group A), and bipolar RFA (group B) using a 200 W generator (Valleylab) and one or two cooled-wet electrodes. In in vivo experiments, one coagulation was created by bipolar RFA in each of eight dogs via laparotomy. In ex vivo and in vivo experiments, RF was applied to one or two electrodes at 100 W for 10 min. The dimensions of the coagulations were compared in the two groups. In ex vivo experiments, the mean volumes of the coagulations produced in group B (54.0+/-16.5 cm3) were greater than those produced in group A (33.9+/-12.7 cm3) (P=0.007). In in vivo experiments, bipolar RFA produced a coagulation of 39.4+/-15.6 cm3 without a major complication. The present study showed that a RF electrode system using two cooled-wet electrodes in the bipolar mode created larger coagulation volumes than the monopolar mode, and this system can be used to create large coagulation without major complications.