Role of Chemoembolization as a Rescue Treatment for Recurrence of Resected Hepatoblastoma in Adult Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatoblastoma is the most common malignant liver tumor in children, but it is extremely rare in adults. Materials and methods: A 33-year-old man was admitted with nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and right upper quadrant pain. A preoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed a nodular hepatic lesion infiltrating the lesser curvature of the stomach. A left hepatectomy and a subtotal gastrectomy were performed. The histological diagnosis was hepatoblastoma. A recurrence in the right lobe was seen. Results: Three cycles of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) were performed 40, 70, and 130 days after surgery. No sign of recurrence was present at the time of the second chemoembolization. Conclusion: The TACE was well tolerated by the patient and controlled the recurrence. The patient survived 11 months after recurrence of disease and died 1 year after the liver resection. The use of TACE to treat the hepatic recurrence was never described.

Keywords

chemoembolization adult hepatoblastoma recurrence lipiodol

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