To investigate the relationship between the presence of cirrhosis and the antitumor effects of locoregional chemotherapy with doxorubicin, 16 patients with nonresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and satisfactory baseline clinical conditions (Child class A or B, Karnofsky index greater than 70%) were studied. Eight patients had post-necrotic cirrhosis, five had serum HBsAg. The dose of doxorubicin was 0.3 mg/kg body weight/day, given by continuous intracoeliac infusion for 8 consecutive days. Eight patients (six with cirrhosis) died prematurely after the first course of chemotherapy. Six (2 with cirrhosis) responded to therapy; they survived 3-33 months (median: 10). In these patients, the type and severity of drug-related side effects were comparable to those reported for patients treated by intravenous chemotherapy. The implication that in many patients with cirrhosis intrahepatic chemotherapy with doxorubicin may hasten death, lessens our interest in its use for nonresectable HCC. In fact, in Italy these cancers frequently occur in association with cirrhosis.