Liver, Gallbladder, and Biliary Tract Cancers

Assessing outcome after ablation is difficult because few studies with good long-term followup have evaluated local recurrence, disease-free survival, and overall survival after ablation. This and other limitations make it difficult to draw meaningful conclusions.

In this short review, we describe two new liver-specific contrast agents for MRI that are in clinical development. The main differences among the liver-specific contrast agents available at present are also discussed briefly.

A 58-year-old man presented with symptoms of abdominal pain of several weeks duration. At physical evaluation, jaundice and ascites were present. In addition, a palpable mass was identified in the right upper quadrant. Surgical resection was performed.

A 68-year-old man developed hepatocellular carcinoma associated with chronic alcohol abuse and cirrhosis. He began to receive sorafenib (400 mg twice daily) as management for advanced disease. About 8 weeks after drug initiation, the patient noted the rapid onset of two nodules nearly identical in appearance.

A 57-year-old woman developed a solitary nodular hepatocellular carcinoma. After about 3 months on sorafenib, following pulmonary metastases, the patient experienced the explosive onset of a moderately pruritic cutaneous eruption.