Spontaneous regression of cancer is a rare phenomenon seldom described
in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. A case of spontaneous regr
ession of hepatocellular carcinoma is reported and compared with the r
eports published in the English literature. A 52-yr-old man presented
with biopsy-proven hepatocellular carcinoma, which was considered to b
e unresectable at initial laparotomy. The tumor subsequently regressed
without specific treatment, as assessed radiologically and by normali
zation of a previously elevated alpha-fetoprotein level, At repeat lap
arotomy 14 months after initial diagnosis, intraoperative ultrasound f
ailed to disclose a hepatic mass, and multiple biopsies showed no evid
ence of malignancy. To date, only nine case reports of apparently spon
taneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma have been published in
the English literature, Clinical characteristics discriminating these
patients from less fortunate patients with hepatocellular carcinoma co
uld not be identified. The mechanisms underlying this intriguing pheno
menon remain unknown.