Abstract
PurposeGiven that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted operations globally, an institution’s ability to repeat transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has also been affected. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 on the intervals and outcomes of TACE in HCC patients.Materials and MethodsThis retrospective study included 154 HCC patients who underwent follow-up after TACE treatment from January 2020 to March 2020 (n = 71, study group) and January 2019 to March 2019 (n = 83, control group) at two institutions in China. The endpoints included the follow-up interval and overall response rate (ORR). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for a worse ORR. The cut-off point was determined to divide follow-up durations into long- and short-intervals.ResultsThe median follow-up interval was 82.0 days (IQR, 61–109) in the study group, which was significantly longer than 66.0 days (IQR, 51–94) in the control group (P = 0.004). The ORR was 23.9 and 39.8% in the study and control group, respectively (P = 0.037). The cut-off value was 95 days. The grouping (OR, 2.402; 95% CI, 1.040–5.546; P = 0.040), long interval (OR, 2.573; 95% CI, 1.022–6.478; P = 0.045), and China liver cancer staging system (OR, 2.500; 95% CI, 1.797–3.480; P <0.001) were independent predictors for the efficacy of TACE treatment.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic causes a longer follow-up interval in general, which may further lead to a lower ORR in HCC patients. Those with a follow-up interval of >95 days tend to have a worse prognosis.
Highlights
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), has affected more than 119,960,700 people from 223 countries as of March 16, 2021 [1]
Between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020, 71 consecutive HCC patients with follow-up data after Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) treatment were retrospectively screened for the study group at two institutions
A total of 154 HCC patients were included in this study, with 71 in the study group and 83 in the control group
Summary
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), has affected more than 119,960,700 people from 223 countries as of March 16, 2021 [1]. Medical centers are overwhelmed due to infection control and suffered a severe shortage of testing and personal protective equipment, making normal practice very challenging over the rapid spread of COVID-19 [2, 3]. In such circumstances, cancer patients had to face their treatment either delayed or interrupted, and irreversible progression becomes a potential risk to their health [4,5,6]. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 on the intervals and outcomes of TACE in HCC patients
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