Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) is associated with a poor prognosis. New therapeutic modalities, such as continuous hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (CHAIC), have recently been reported to be promising strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and survival of patients with PVTT according to treatment regimen. One hundred ninety-three patients with HCC complicated with PVTT at the time of diagnosis were included in this study. All patients were newly diagnosed to have HCC and were observed from January 1992 to December 2003. CHAIC was performed using an implanted drug delivery system with low-dose cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil. Clinical characteristics, prognosis, and patient survival were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards model. The mean age of the patients complicated with PVTT was 64.3+/-10.3 years (range, 20-88 years). The survival of the 193 patients with PVTT was 37.5%, 24.0%, 18.9%, and 8.3% at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years, respectively. According to treatment, the survival of patients who underwent surgical treatment was the best, followed by CHAIC, transcatheter arterial infusion/embolization, and supportive care. The 3-year survivals for each treatment regimen were 53.0%, 19.3%, 15.0%, and 4.0%, respectively. Although the survival of patients who received surgical treatment was best, such patients were restricted. There was no difference in survival between treated and untreated patients demonstrating Child-Pugh grade C. In Child B patients, treatment for HCC significantly increased survival (P<0.01). Cox's proportional hazards model revealed the Child-Pugh classification to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with HCC and PVTT (P<0.01). We conclude that the prognosis of HCC with PVTT was quite poor. The treatment did not improve the survival of Child C patients. As a result, the prevention, early diagnosis, and development of new treatment strategies are required.
