PERCUTANEOUS HOT-WATER INJECTION THERAPY (PHOT) FOR TREATMENT OF HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA - A COMPARISION WITH PERCUTANEOUS ETHANOL INJECTION THERAPY (PEIT)

We investigated the safety and efficacy of percutaneous hot water inje ction therapy (PHoT) in six patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HC C). PHoT produced the marked effect in five (62.5%) of eight lesions. No serious adverse effects have been encountered. We also compared the usefulness of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) (22 patie nts, 32 lesions) and PHoT (five patients, seven lesions) in patients w ith HCC with diameter of 3 cm or less. Patients in the PHoT group rece ived significantly fewer treatments than in the PEIT group (P < 0.01), because the volume injected per treatment was greater. Residual cance r was found in five (15.6%) of 32 lesions after PEIT and in three (42. 9%) of seven lesions after PHoT, but the difference was not statistica lly significant. Pain tended to be less frequent in patients treated w ith PHoT than in patients treated with PEIT. We could not determine wh ether PHoT was superior to PEIT, but our findings indicate that PHoT m ay be a safe and effective for treating HCC.