Survival analysis of 230 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma treated with bland transarterial embolization

PLoS One. 2020 Jan 14;15(1):e0227711. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227711. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

Locoregional therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) include endovascular treatments such as chemoembolization (TACE) and bland embolization (TAE). TACE is the most adopted technique, despite a lack of definitive evidence of superiority over TAE, which is less costly and better tolerated due to the absence of chemotherapy. However, few studies have reported data on TAE monotherapy for unresectable HCC. We report our results in a cohort of 230 patients with unresectable HCC treated with TAE (TAE with 40-100micron microparticles, TAE with microparticles plus n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate, TAE with Lipiodol) over the course of seven years. Thirty-seven patients (14%) were down-staged during observation and also received a percutaneous ablation. We observed 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year rates of 84,8%, 58,7%, 38,3%, 28,3%, and 18,7%. Patients who also received percutaneous treatment performed best. Our results broaden the body of evidence for the use of TAE in advanced HCC.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / therapy*
  • Chemoembolization, Therapeutic* / methods
  • Ethiodized Oil / administration & dosage
  • Ethiodized Oil / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Survival Analysis

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Ethiodized Oil

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.