Serum alpha-fetoprotein levels after hepatic artery ligation and postoperative chemotherapy: correlation with clinical status in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Eight patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and positive serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were treated by hepatic artery legation and postoperative chemotherapy. Three patterns of clinical response were discerned. First, a marked decrease in AFP levels was found in five patients following the treatment. Three of these patients are alive, all with lowered or normal serum AFP levels at 20, 22, and 60 weeks after operation. Second, two patients displayed only a transient decrease in AFP levels followed by a gradual increase. Third, there was a continuous increase in AFP levels in one patient who showed no clinical improvement. The serum AFP levels in each case appeared to correlate with the prognosis of these patients. Thus, serial measurements of AFP levels may provide an index to assess the clinical result of hepatic artery ligation in patients affected with hepatoma.