Peritoneal dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with a combination therapy of interferon-alpha-2b and oral tegafur/uracil

Abstract

We encountered a case of peritoneal dissemination of hepatocellular carcinoma, successfully treated with a combination therapy of interferon-alpha-2b and oral tegafur/uracil. A 67-year-old Japanese man who underwent a hepatectomy developed peritoneal dissemination. A combination therapy of subcutaneous interferon-alpha-2b and intravenous 5-fluorouracil was started. Four weeks later, he felt severe general fatigue and nausea, and intravenous 5-fluorouracil was replaced with oral tegafur/uracil. At 3 months after the initiation of chemotherapy, enhanced computed tomography showed markedly reduced peritoneal dissemination. A combination therapy of interferon-alpha-2b and oral tegafur/uracil is facile and may be effective for extrahepatic metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.