Radiofrequency ablation as a palliative treatment of primary liver sarcoma in an inoperable patient with hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis.

摘要

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) can be performed percutaneously, by laparotomy, or by laparoscopy. Recent advances in laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) have improved the accuracy in detecting intrahepatic nodules. Primary liver sarcomas in chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with or without cirrhosis are extremely rare and the prognosis is poor. CASE REPORT: A 58-year-old man with a 5-year history of HCV-related Child-Pugh B cirrhosis was admitted with abdominal fullness, weight loss and lower-extremity edema lasting for 1 month. One mass lesion was measured as 4 cm in the segments 2 and 3 of the liver by abdominal computed tomography. As the patient's condition did not permit operation, he received LUS-guided RFA. After the treatment, the survival of this patient exceeded 48 months. RESULTS: Treatment of primary liver sarcomas arising in HCV infection with or without cirrhosis is primarily limited to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Liver transplantation is not suggested for either primary or metastatic liver sarcoma. The described inoperable case is the only case report about a successful RFA treatment of a solitary liver sarcoma. CONCLUSION: We suggest that RFA can be considered as a choice of palliative treatment for primary liver sarcoma in inoperable patients with HCV-related cirrhosis.