HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA - IS SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION POSSIBLE

We present the case of a patient with liver cirrhosis secondary to hep atitis C who developed a large (6 ems) hepatocellular carcinoma, diagn osed by raised alphafetoprotein (AFP) levels (> 10000 ng/ml) and imagi ng techniques (ultrasonography and abdominal CT with and without contr ast). During follow-up there was normalization of the AFP levels and d isappearance of the lesion on U.S. and CT. Spontaneous regression is e xceptional in hepatocellular carcinoma. We describe the characteristic s of our case and of the 10 patients described in the literature.