The influence of preoperative chemotherapy and surgical technique in the treatment of hepatoblastoma--a report from the German Cooperative Liver Tumour Studies HB 89 and HB 94.

UNLABELLED: Despite the success of chemotherapy in the treatment of hepatoblastoma (HB), the complete surgical resection of the primary liver tumour and metastases is the most important factor for survival.

METHODS: From 1989 to 1998, 141 children with HB were treated in the German Cooperative Paediatric Liver Tumour Study HB 89 and HB 94. The study determines the results of surgical strategy, which adapts the procedure at the initial operation to the tumour extension in the liver and the occurrence of metastases.

RESULTS: The median follow-up of the survivors was 72 months (range 24 - 132 months). 98/141 (78 %) patients were alive and 31/141 (22 %) died. 12/141 (8.5 %) children had no surgical treatment. A complete resection of the primary tumour was achieved in 107/129 (83 %) cases. Forty-eight children were primary resected and eighty-one children were operated on after initial chemotherapy. In 36 cases, an atypical tumour resection, in 90 cases an anatomical liver resection, was performed. Three children were transplanted. There was no perioperative death. 14/48 (30 %) children with primary tumour resection had microscopical or macroscopical residual tumour in the liver. Despite the larger number of advanced HB in the primary chemotherapy group, an incomplete tumour resection was performed in only 15/78 (19 %) cases after liver resection (p < 0.044). 14/36 (38 %) cases with atypical tumour resection and only 16/90 (18 %) cases with anatomical liver resection had residual tumours in the liver (p < 0.019). These results underline the necessity for preoperative chemotherapy in all HB, which was accepted in the following study HB 99. Atypical tumour resection should be avoided because of the higher rate of incomplete tumour resections and local relapse compared to the group with anatomical tumour resection.