Abstract

Most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occur in the Asia-Pacific region and in patients with underlying hepatitis B and C viral infection. Although surgical resection is the gold standard for treatment of HCC, only a few patients are surgical candidates because of their lack of hepatic reserve. Liver transplantation, which eradicates HCC and replaces damaged noncancerous hepatic parenchyma, is regarded as the best treatment for HCC in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. However, the shortage of donors limit its widespread use. Furthermore, the long waiting time for liver transplantation allow for tumor progression and reduce patient survival. Given this long wait, there is a reasonable clinical need in the meantime for minimally invasive methods to avoid progression of HCC in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis. We herein offer our experiences of therapeutic efficacy and complications of the procedure and the changes in liver function before and after TACE and radiofrequency ablation in patients with HCC and decompensated liver cirrhosis, defined as a Child-Pugh-Turcotte score above 7. (J Liver Cancer 2014;14:139-142)

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