Several advances in diagnosis,treatment and palliation of cholangiocarcinoma(CC)have occurred in the last decades.A multidisciplinary approach to this disease is therefore recommended.CC is a relatively rare tumor and...Several advances in diagnosis,treatment and palliation of cholangiocarcinoma(CC)have occurred in the last decades.A multidisciplinary approach to this disease is therefore recommended.CC is a relatively rare tumor and the main risk factors are:chronic inflammation, genetic predisposition and congenital abnormalities of the biliary tree.While the incidence of intra-hepatic CC is increasing,the incidence of extra-hepatic CC is trending down.The only curative treatment for CC is surgical resection with negative margins.Liver transplantation has been proposed only for selected patients with hilar CC that cannot be resected who have no metastatic disease after a period of neoadjuvant chemo-radiation therapy.Magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography,positron emission tomography scan,endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography scans are the most frequently used modalities for diagnosis and tumor staging.Adjuvant therapy,palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been relatively ineffective for inoperable CC.For most of these patients biliary stenting provides effective palliation.Photodynamic therapy is an emerging palliative treatment that seems to provide pain relief,improve biliary patency and increase survival. The clinical utility of other emerging therapies such as transarterial chemoembolization,hepatic arterial chemoinfusion and high intensity intraductal ultrasound needs further study.展开更多
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains a considerable challenge for surgeons.Surgery,including liver transplantation,is the most important therapeutic approach for patients with this disease.HCC is frequently di...Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains a considerable challenge for surgeons.Surgery,including liver transplantation,is the most important therapeutic approach for patients with this disease.HCC is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages and has a poor prognosis with a high mortality rate even when surgical resection has been considered potentially curative.This brief report summarizes the current status of the management of this malignancy and includes a short description of new pharmacological approaches in HCC treatment.展开更多
The liver is a common location of both primary and secondary malignancies. For unresectable liver cancer, many local ablative therapies have been developed. These include e.g., percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), pe...The liver is a common location of both primary and secondary malignancies. For unresectable liver cancer, many local ablative therapies have been developed. These include e.g., percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), percutaneous acetic acid injection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), cryoablation, microwave ablation, laserinduced thermotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound. RFA has recently gained interest and is the most widely applied thermoablative technique. RFA allows more effective tumor control in fewer treatment sessions compared with PEI, but with a higher rate of complications. However, there are certain circumstances where PEI therapy represents a better strategy to control liver tumors than RFA, especially in situations where RFA is difficult, for example when large vessels surround the tumor. In the context of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both RFA and PEI are feasible and of benefit in non-operable patients. RFA seems superior to PEI in HCC > 2 cm, and the combination of interventions may be of benefit in selected patients. Liver resection is superior to RFA for patients with HCC meeting the Milan criteria, but RFA can be employed in tumors ≤ 3 cm and where there is an increased expected operative mortality. In addition, some lines of evidence indicate that RFA and PEI can be employed as a bridge to liver transplantation. The use of RFA in colorectal liver metastases is currently limited to unresectable disease and for patients unfit for surgery. The aim of this article is to summarize the current status of RFA in the management of liver tumors and compare it to the cheap and readily available technique of PEI.展开更多
文摘Several advances in diagnosis,treatment and palliation of cholangiocarcinoma(CC)have occurred in the last decades.A multidisciplinary approach to this disease is therefore recommended.CC is a relatively rare tumor and the main risk factors are:chronic inflammation, genetic predisposition and congenital abnormalities of the biliary tree.While the incidence of intra-hepatic CC is increasing,the incidence of extra-hepatic CC is trending down.The only curative treatment for CC is surgical resection with negative margins.Liver transplantation has been proposed only for selected patients with hilar CC that cannot be resected who have no metastatic disease after a period of neoadjuvant chemo-radiation therapy.Magnetic resonance imaging/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography,positron emission tomography scan,endoscopic ultrasound and computed tomography scans are the most frequently used modalities for diagnosis and tumor staging.Adjuvant therapy,palliative chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been relatively ineffective for inoperable CC.For most of these patients biliary stenting provides effective palliation.Photodynamic therapy is an emerging palliative treatment that seems to provide pain relief,improve biliary patency and increase survival. The clinical utility of other emerging therapies such as transarterial chemoembolization,hepatic arterial chemoinfusion and high intensity intraductal ultrasound needs further study.
基金Supported by A grant from Pineta Grande Hospital,Castel Volturno,Caserta,Italy
文摘Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains a considerable challenge for surgeons.Surgery,including liver transplantation,is the most important therapeutic approach for patients with this disease.HCC is frequently diagnosed at advanced stages and has a poor prognosis with a high mortality rate even when surgical resection has been considered potentially curative.This brief report summarizes the current status of the management of this malignancy and includes a short description of new pharmacological approaches in HCC treatment.
文摘The liver is a common location of both primary and secondary malignancies. For unresectable liver cancer, many local ablative therapies have been developed. These include e.g., percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), percutaneous acetic acid injection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA), cryoablation, microwave ablation, laserinduced thermotherapy, and high-intensity focused ultrasound. RFA has recently gained interest and is the most widely applied thermoablative technique. RFA allows more effective tumor control in fewer treatment sessions compared with PEI, but with a higher rate of complications. However, there are certain circumstances where PEI therapy represents a better strategy to control liver tumors than RFA, especially in situations where RFA is difficult, for example when large vessels surround the tumor. In the context of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), both RFA and PEI are feasible and of benefit in non-operable patients. RFA seems superior to PEI in HCC > 2 cm, and the combination of interventions may be of benefit in selected patients. Liver resection is superior to RFA for patients with HCC meeting the Milan criteria, but RFA can be employed in tumors ≤ 3 cm and where there is an increased expected operative mortality. In addition, some lines of evidence indicate that RFA and PEI can be employed as a bridge to liver transplantation. The use of RFA in colorectal liver metastases is currently limited to unresectable disease and for patients unfit for surgery. The aim of this article is to summarize the current status of RFA in the management of liver tumors and compare it to the cheap and readily available technique of PEI.