Argon supper-cryosurgery for patients with middle and late stage liver cancer.

OBJECTIVE:To assess the value of argon supper-cryosurgery for 42 patients with middle and late stage liver cancer. METHODS:Forty-two patients who had received argon supper-cryosurgery were analyzed retrospectively in terms of their clinical characteristics as well as the performance of argon supper-cryosurgery. RESULTS:All patients were ameliorated in symptoms shortly after the operation, including pain alleviation, psyche straightening up, alpha-fetoprotein descending or recovery. Jaundice occurred in 1 patient and intraabdominal hemorrhage in 2. The levels of aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase in all patients were elevated 1 month after the operation, and normalized after protective therapy of the liver. No operative death was noted. CONCLUSIONS:Cold and heat reversed therapy of argon supper-cryosurgery can drastically destroy tumor tissue, especially the tumors which are too large to resect or close to the large vessels. It is applicable to increase the operative rate, decrease the operative death rate, and enlarge the therapeutic scope.