The value of 125iodine implantation combining transcatheter arterial chemoembolization to prevent digestive tract bleeding in patients with portal vein tumor thrombus in primary hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Objective This study was to investigate the value of CT guided 125iodine implantation combining transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE) to prevent digestive tract bleeding in patients with portal vein tumor thrombus in primary hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Forty patients with portal vein tumor thrombus which were diagnosed to have primary hepatocellular carcinomas by diagnostic criteria of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association were collected prospectively. They were divided into the treatment group and the control group, with 20 patients in each group. The treatment group was treated by TACE for hepatic tumor and 125iodine seed implantation for portal vein tumor thrombus, while the control group was treated by TACE for hepatic tumor and only given β-blockers medicines after treatment. Intraoperative and postoperative surgery-related complications were observed. Three months after surgery, enhanced abdominal CT scanning was performed to evaluate treatment effects which were divided into complete response (CR), partial response (PR), and progressive disease (PD) and stable of disease (SD), and the local tumor control rates were calculated. The bleeding rates and mortality after 3 months, 6 months, 12 months were recorded. Treatment effects of the two groups were compared with continuously correction Chi-square test, bleeding rates were compared with Fisher test, and survival rates were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival curve and compared with Log-rank test. Results Overall the 40 patients were treated successfully without serious surgery-related complications. In the treatment group, there were 8 patients with PR, 6 with SD and 6 with PD, and the local control rates were 40% (8/20). In the control group, there were 1 patient with PR, 6 patients with SD and 13 with PD. The difference of the local control rates was statistically significant (χ2= 5.161, P=0.023).The bleeding rates at 3, 6 and 12 months were 2, 2 and 3 cases in the treatment group, for control group they were 2, 6 and 10 cases respectively. There was no statistical difference between the 3 months and 6 months bleeding rates (P values were 1.000 and 0.235), but for 12 months bleeding rates, the difference was statistically significant (P=0.041).The 1 year cumulative survival rates of the treatment group and control group were 70% (14/20) and 40% (8/20), and the difference was statistically significant (χ2= 4.675, P=0.031). Conclusion The treatment of 125iodine implantation combining transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with portal vein tumor thrombus in primary hepatocellular carcinoma can reduce variceal bleeding rate and improve survival rate. Key words: Liver neoplasms; Portal vein; Gastrointestinal hemorrhage; Radiology, interventional