Hepatocellular carcinoma with peritoneal dissemination which was regressed during vitamin K2 and vitamin E administration

Abstract

A 65-year-old man with positive anti-hepatitis C antibody and chronic renal failure was diagnosed as having a ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on computed tomography (CT). The patient underwent transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) for the HCC. After one more session of TAE, the patient underwent surgery. But HCC seeding peritoneally was pointed out. Vitamin K2 and vitamin E were administered as a conservative treatment. Six months after starting vitamins K2 and E, the primary tumor did not increase in size and intraperitoneal dissemination disappeared on CT with a significant decrease of alpha-fetoprotein. Even though this is only one case, combination therapy of vitamin K2 and E may induce growth suppression of HCC. © 2007 The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.