Surgery for hepatoblastoma in children.

The survival of children with hepatoblastoma, the most common malignant tumor of the liver in children, has improved dramatically over the past 20 years. This progress has been made with advances in surgical technique and improved chemotherapy, primarily with adriamycin and cisplatin. Despite these advances, those patients who present with advanced disease have unsatisfactory survival. Continued refinement of liver surgery and chemotherapy, as well as the use of new techniques such as chemoembolization, immunotherapy, and molecular biology, should lead to improved survival in patients with advanced disease.