SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION OF HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

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.