Efficacy of intrahepatic absolute alcohol in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

ABSTRACT

To determine efficacy of intrahepatic absolute alcohol injection in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Design: A randomized, controlled, experimental and interventional clinical trial. Place and Duration of Study Gastroenterology Department, PGMI, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar during the period from June, 1998 to June, 2000. Subjects and Thirty patients were treated by percutaneous, intrahepatic absolute alcohol injections in repeated sessions, 33 patients were not given or treated with alcohol to serve as control. Both the groups were comparable for age, sex, and other baseline characteristics. Absolute alcohol therapy significantly improved quality of life of patients, reduced the tumor size and mortality as well as showed significantly better results regarding survival [P< 0.05] than the patients of control group. We conclude that absolute alcohol is a beneficial and safe palliative treatment measure in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC]