The remaining 461 patients (264 men, 197 women; age range 38–93 years; mean age 68.2 ± 8.7 years) were enrolled in this study. They consisted of 107 (23.2%) elderly subjects, aged selleck chemicals 75 years or over, and 354 non-elderly subjects. According to the estimate released by the National Cancer Center, Japan, the number of liver cancer mortalities in Japanese persons aged over 75 years increased, whereas that of subjects under 75 years decreased between 2004 and 2008.16 Additionally, the incidence of liver cancer continually increased in Japanese persons over 75 years

until 2005, whereas the incidence in persons under 75 years reached its peak in 2003.17 Therefore, we divided subjects into two groups (those <75 years and those ≥75 years) to analyze and discuss the strategy of treatment for elderly HCC patients. The indication for RFA treatment was that HCC consisted of five or fewer nodules, with each nodule having a maximum diameter of 30 mm, or that HCC consisted of a single tumor, regardless of size, and that hepatic function was not Child–Pugh grade C. SCH772984 nmr Radiofrequency ablation treatment was applied to cases (n = 226) that were not considered

to be suitable for resection for the following reasons: (i) impairment of liver function, and (ii) an excessive number of tumors or cardiopulmonary dysfunction. In addition, we applied RFA in cases (n = 235) where patients chose ablation therapy

even though surgery was also feasible. Exclusion criteria for RFA were: (i) 上海皓元医药股份有限公司 total bilirubin concentration over 3 mg/dL; (ii) platelet count under 30 000/mm3; (iii) prothrombin activity under 50%; (iv) ascites that could not be controlled by nutritional therapy and diuretics; and (v) patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis or extrahepatic metastasis. When four or more nodules were detected or the largest nodule was over 3 cm, RFA was preceded by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using epirubicin and gelatin sponge particles. Using combined examinations from ultrasonography and dynamic computed tomography (CT) scans or dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT during angiography, diagnosis of HCC was confirmed in cases where the contrast pattern of the nodule in CT or MRI was hypervascular in the arterial phase and hypovascular in the portal phase. If the nodules were not consistent with typical contrast patterns for HCC, a needle biopsy of the tumor was taken for pathological diagnosis. The American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)/International Union Against Cancer (UICC) 6th edition staging system for HCC was used for Tumor–Node–Metastasis (TNM) classification.18 The following three RF systems were used. From January 2000 to March 2000, 25 patients underwent RFA treatment using an RF 2000 generator system (Radio Therapeutics, Mountain View, CA, USA).