Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy and embolization in the treatment of primary hepatic carcinoma.

Abstract

To study the effects of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAI) or embolization (HAE) in the treatment of primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) and the factors influencing these effects. A retrospective analysis of 188 patients (166 males and 22 females) with PHC treated with HAI (n = 82) or HAE (n = 106) was conducted. In the group as a whole, the percentage of patients experiencing therapeutic outcomes was as follows: Symptomatic relief (59.6%); Tumor shrinkage (55%); A decrease in blood alpha fetoprotein (AFP) (37.8%) and overall survival rates at 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 years of 75.4%, 46%, 23.5% and 14.7%, respectively. The mean survival time in the entire group was 12.2 mo, and the longest survival period was 50 mo. In the HAI group the survival rates at 0.5, 1.0. 2.0 and 3.0 years of follow-up were 61.0%, 25.4%, 4.5% and 0%, respectively, with a mean survival time of 7.7 mo. In the HAE group the corresponding survival rates were 86.8%, 61.7%, 37.8% and 26.1%, respectively, with a mean survival time of 15.7 mo. Eighteen patients received secondary surgery. Factors that had a favorable effect on therapeutic outcomes were presence of no or only mild liver cirrhosis, presence of stage I or Stage II disease, presence of only a single tumor, a tumor size less than 10 cm in diameter, an absence cancerous thrombus within the portal vein or hepatic arterio venous fistula, and HAE treatment. This study helped identify the effects of HAI and HAE in patients with PHC, and identified some important factors which influence such treatment.