Adriamycin and cis-platinum administered by continuous infusion preoperatively in hepatoblastoma unresectable at presentation.

Hepatoblastoma deemed surgically unresectable at presentation is fatal unless conversion to resectability is attained. We report a series of six consecutive patients, ranging in age from newborn to 5.75 years with hepatoblastoma unresectable at presentation, either because of size of tumor or its anatomical boundaries, or because of metastatic disease. All were treated with preoperative continuous infusions of cis-platinum and Adriamycin. All achieved resectability, and there was only one operative death. The five surviving patients are alive and free of disease off therapy. Potential benefit may accrue from preoperative chemotherapy in most cases of hepatoblastoma.