Preoperative Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Research Articles

Impact of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on postoperative long-term survival in patients with nonsmall hepatocellular carcinoma: a propensity score matching analysis

BackgroundThe purpose of this propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was to compare the effects of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and non-TACE on the long-term survival of patients who undergo radical hepatectomy.MethodsPSM analysis was performed for 387 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (single > 3 cm or multiple) who underwent radical resection of HCC at our centre from January 2011 to June 2018. The patients were allocated to a preoperative TACE group (n = 77) and a non-TACE group (n = 310). The main outcome measures were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) since the treatment date.ResultsAfter PSM, 67 patients were included in each of the TACE and non-TACE groups. The median PFS times in the preoperative TACE and non-TACE groups were 24.0 and 11.3 months, respectively (p = 0.0117). The median OS times in the preoperative TACE and non-TACE groups were 41.5 and 29.0 months, respectively (p = 0.0114). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that preoperative TACE (hazard ratio, 1.733; 95% CI, 1.168–2.570) and tumour thrombosis (hazard ratio, 0.323; 95% CI, 0.141–0.742) were independent risk factors significantly associated with OS.ConclusionsPreoperative TACE is related to improving PFS and OS after resection of HCC. Preoperative TACE and tumour thrombus volume were also found to be independent risk factors associated with OS.

A study on short-term efficacy and safety of Iodine-125 brachytherapy coupled with preoperative arterial chemoembolization for hypervascular spinal metastasis

Hypervascular spinal metastatic malignancies can cause severe pain and intraoperative bleeding and selection of appropriate treatment can be challenging. This study aimed to observe the short-term efficacy and safety of Iodine-125 brachytherapy (125I BT) combined with preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hypervascular spinal metastasis. This study included a total of 33 patients (39 lesions) with hypervascular spinal metastasis. All of them carried out a regimen of TACE followed by 125I BT under CT guidance. A brachytherapy planning system has been utilized for the purpose of designing treatment plans and optimizing dose distribution. Pain relief was evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS) and intraoperative bleeding was recorded. Follow-up was conducted for 6 months to observe the local control rate and clinical complications. All patients tolerated combined treatment well and intraoperative blood loss of every patient was not more than 10 ml. The 2- and 6- month local disease control rates were 92.3% and 83.8%. The NRS scores for thirty-three tumor patients before surgery and after one week, two, and six months of surgery were recorded as 7.33 ± 1.80, 7.39 ± 1.89, 3.15 ± 2.35, and 4.16 ± 2.15, respectively. The NRS score 2 months after treatment was found considerably lower in comparison to the NRS score before operation (p < 0.05). According to our findings, 125I BT as well as preoperative TACE leads to perioperative hemostasis, pain alleviation, and reduced tumor burden, indicating that this combined treatment could be effective and promising for hypervascular spinal metastases.

Sequential transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and portal vein embolization before hepatectomy for the management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

R0 resection is the gold standard for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, residual liver deficiency remains a major obstacle to hepatectomy. This article aims to explore the short-term and long-term efficacy of preoperative sequential transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and portal vein embolization (PVE) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. Multiple electronic literature databases up to February 2022 were searched. Furthermore, clinical studies comparing sequential TACE + PVE with portal vein embolization (PVE) were included. The outcomes included hepatectomy rate, overall survival, disease-free survival, overall morbidity, mortality, posthepatectomy liver failure, the percentage increase in FLR. Five studies included 242 patients who received sequential TACE + PVE and 169 patients received PVE. The sequential TACE + PVE group demonstrated more favorable results in terms of hepatectomy rate (OR = 2.37; 95% CI 1.09-5.11; P = 0.03), overall survival (HR 0.55; 95% CI 0.38 to - 0.79; P = 0.001), disease-free survival (HR 0.61; 95% CI 0.44-0.83; P = 0.002), and percentage increase in FLR (MD = 4.16%; 95% CI 1.13-7.19; P = 0.007). The pooled results did not demonstrate significant differences in overall morbidity, mortality, and posthepatectomy liver failure between the sequential TACE + PVE and PVE groups. Preoperative sequential TACE + PVE has been shown to be a safe and feasible treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma to improve resectability, and it has been shown to provide better long-term oncological outcomes than PVE.

The efficiency of pathological response after preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for microvascular invasion and early tumor recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The efficiency of pathological response after preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for microvascular invasion and early tumor recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma.

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Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and prognosis of patients with solitary large hepatocellular carcinomas (≥5cm): Multicenter retrospective study.

Large hepatocellular carcinoma (LHCC) is prone to short-term recurrence and poor long-term survival after hepatectomy, and there is still a lack of effective neoadjuvant treatments to improve recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). We retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in solitary LHCC (≥5cm). A multicenter medical database was used to analyze preoperative TACE's effects on RFS, OS, and perioperative complications in patients with solitary LHCC who received surgical treatment from January 2005 to December 2015. The patients were divided into Group A (5.0-9.9cm) and Group B (≥10cm), with 10cm as the critical value, and the effect of preoperative TACE on RFS, OS and perioperative complications was assessed in each subgroup. In the overall population, patients with preoperative TACE had better RFS and OS than those without preoperative TACE. However, after stratifying the patients into the two HCC groups, preoperative TACE only improved the survival outcomes of patients with Group B (≥10cm). Multivariate Cox-regression analysis showed that lack of preoperative TACE was an independent risk factor for RFS and OS in the overall population and in Group B but not in Group A. Preoperative TACE is beneficial for patients with solitary HCC (≥10cm).

Neoadjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver in children.

BACKGROUNDUndifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver (UESL) is a rare and aggressive mesenchymal tumor in children. Herein, we describe our experience in neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and subsequent surgery for the treatment of UESL in children.AIMTo evaluate the efficacy of NAT and explore a new choice for successful operation of UESL in children.METHODSWe retrospectively analyzed six patients newly diagnosed with unresectable UESL who received NAT and then surgery at our center between January 2004 and December 2019. The tumor was considered unresectable if it involved a large part of both lobes of the liver or had invaded the main hepatic vessels or inferior vena cava. The NAT included preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systemic chemotherapy. The patients were 4 boys and 2 girls with a mean age of 7 years. The longest tumor at presentation ranged from 8.6 to 14.8 cm (mean, 12 cm). Extrahepatic metastases were present in 2 cases. Preoperative systemic chemotherapy was administered 3 wk after TACE. Tumor resection was performed 3 wk after one or two cycles of NAT. The patients received systemic chemotherapy after surgery.RESULTSAll patients successfully underwent NAT and complete resection. The tumor volumes decreased by 18.2%–68.7%, with a mean decrease of 36% after 1 cycle of NAT (t = 3.524, P = 0.017). According to the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors criteria, 4 patients had a partial response and underwent surgery, while 2 had stable disease and received another cycle of NAT before surgery. Massive tumor necrosis was seen on pathological examination of the surgical specimen: > 90% necrosis in two, > 50% necrosis in three, and 25% necrosis in 1, with an average of 71.8%. Post-NAT complications included fever, nausea and vomiting, and mild bone marrow suppression. Elevated alanine transaminase levels occurred in all patients, which returned to normal within 7–10 d after treatment. No cardiac or renal toxicity, severe hepatic dysfunction, bleeding and non-target embolization were observed in the patients. The median follow-up period was 8 years with an overall survival of 100%.CONCLUSIONNAT effectively reduced tumor volume, cleared the tumor margin, and caused massive tumor necrosis. This may be a promising choice for successful surgery of UESL in children.

Impact of pathological response after preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on incidences of microvascular invasion and early tumor recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma: a multicenter propensity score matching analysis.

To study the influence of pathological responses (PR) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on incidences of microvascular invasion (MVI) and early recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Between 2013 to 2015, consecutive HCC patients who underwent liver resection with "curative" intent at three hospitals were enrolled in this study. Patients with different areas of PR after preoperative TACE were compared with those without preoperative TACE on the incidences of MVI, early recurrence rates and patterns of recurrence before and after propensity score matching (PSM). Of 1,970 patients, 737 patients who received preoperative TACE were divided into three groups according to the areas of PR: ≥90% (n=226), 60-90% (n=447), and <60% (n=64). PR ≥90% was an independent protective factor of incidences of MVI [odds ratio (OR), 0.144; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.082-0.245, P<0.001) and early recurrence (HR, 0.742; 95% CI, 0.561-0.963, P=0.032); while PR<60% was an independent risk factor of incidences of MVI (OR, 6.076; 95% CI, 3.004-11.728, P<0.001) and early recurrence (HR, 1.428; 95% CI, 1.095-1.929; P=0.009). Furthermore, patients with PR <60% were significantly more likely to develop multiple intrahepatic recurrences involving multiple hepatic segments when compared with patients without preoperative TACE. This study indicated the area of PR after TACE was closely associated with the incidences of MVI and early tumor recurrence. Patients with PR <60% were at significantly higher risks of having more MVI, early and multiple tumor recurrences.

Conversion surgery after preoperative therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the era of molecular targeted therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Optimal strategies for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors, such as those with vascular tumor thrombus and those with extrahepatic metastases are unclear. A literature review was conducted focusing on conversion surgery for HCC after molecular targeted therapy and therapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors. Upfront surgical resection of advanced HCC tumors has been challenged at some institutions because of lack of promising therapeutic options. Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, and radiotherapy in patients with unresectable HCC were developed to improve long-term outcome, but the results were not promising. Nonetheless, the recent advent of molecular targeted therapies and immune check-point inhibitors, enabling frequent tumor responses, has accelerated the use of conversion surgery after these therapies in patients with initially unresectable HCC. Increasing numbers of conversion surgeries after lenvatinib therapy has been reported, and the first prospective clinical trial assessing conversion surgery after lenvatinib therapy in initially unresectable HCC has been commenced. Furthermore, the superiority of combination therapy using atezolizumab and bevacizumab over sorafenib, a conventional first-line drug for unresectable HCC, in terms of overall survival and tumor response has been demonstrated, and the use of this regimen alongside conversion surgery is expected in addition to lenvatinib. The literature demonstrated the feasibility of conversion surgery after systemic therapy. Further clinical investigation of surgery after systemic therapy for advanced HCC may be undertaken by clearly distinguishing the tumor status as technically unresectable or oncologically unresectable but technically resectable.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization followed by surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a focus on its controversies and screening of patients most likely to benefit.

Surgical resection (SR) is recommended as a radical procedure in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, postoperative recurrence negatively affects the long-term efficacy of SR, and preoperative adjuvant therapy has therefore become a research hotspot. Some clinicians adopt transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as a preoperative adjuvant therapy in patients undergoing SR to increase the resection rate, reduce tumor recurrence, and improve the prognosis. However, the findings of the most relevant studies remain controversial. Some studies have confirmed that preoperative TACE cannot improve the long-term survival rate of patients with HCC and might even negatively affect the resection rate. Which factors influence the efficacy of preoperative TACE combined with SR is a topic worthy of investigation. In this review, existing clinical studies were analyzed with a particular focus on several topics: screening of the subgroups of patients most likely to benefit from preoperative TACE, exploration of the optimal treatment regimen of preoperative TACE, and determination of the extent of tumor necrosis as the deciding prognostic factor.

Preoperative Trans-catheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Laparoscopic Associating Liver Partition and Portal Vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma &amp;ndash; A Case Report

&lt;p&gt;Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is considered as a major method to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Associated liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) has been used to treat patients with advanced HCC. This case report documents the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of TACE and laparoscopic ALPPS to treat the unresectable HCC of the right liver with right intra-hepatic metastasis in a male patient. Percutaneous and trans-femoral artery TACE was performed preoperatively, and the ALPPS stage-I at the 4th week and stage-II after 14 days was carried out. Postoperative outcome was assessed after 180 days of follow-up. It is concluded that preoperative TACE and laparoscopic ALPPS offer a fine treatment alternative to the patients with insufficient residual liver volume and relatively-advanced and extensive HCC.&lt;/p&gt;

Impact of preoperative TACE on incidences of microvascular invasion and long-term post-hepatectomy survival in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A propensity score matching analysis.

BackgroundTo study the influence of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on the incidence of microvascular invasion (MVI) and long‐term survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.MethodsBetween January 1, 2010 and December 1, 2014, consecutive HCC patients who underwent curative liver resection were enrolled in this study. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were used to identify independent predictive factors of MVI. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to compare the incidences of MVI and prognosis between patients who did and did not receive preoperative TACE. Factors associated with Disease‐Free Survival (DFS) and Overall survival (OS) were identified using Cox regression analyses.ResultsOf 1624 patients, 590 received preoperative TACE. The incidence of MVI was significantly lower in patients with preoperative TACE than those without preoperative TACE (39.15% vs. 45.36%, p = 0.015). After PSM, the incidences of MVI were similar in the two groups (38.85% vs. 41.10%, p = 0.473). Multivariable regression analysis revealed preoperative TACE to have no impact on the incidence of MVI. Before PSM, survival of patients with preoperative TACE was significantly worse than those without preoperative TACE (p = 0.032 for DFS and p = 0.027 for OS). After PSM, the difference became insignificant (p = 0.465 for DFS and p = 0.307 for OS). After adjustment for other prognostic variables in the propensity‐matched cohort, preoperative TACE was still found not to be associated with DFS and OS after HCC resection. Both before and after PSM, the prognosis of patients was not significantly different between the two groups for BCLC stages 0, A, and B.ConclusionsPreoperative TACE did not influence the incidence of MVI and prognosis of patients with HCC who underwent ‘curative’ liver resection.

Renal cell carcinoma in children and adolescents: Single-center experience and literature review.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is infrequent in the pediatric population. In addition, till date, only a few reports have summarized the characteristics of pediatric RCC and differences between pediatric and adult RCC. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of RCC in children and adolescents, and identify the differences between children and adolescent patients and adult patients through literature retrieval.The data of 13 pediatric patients diagnosed with RCC at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine between 2005 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Three patients were aged <5 years, 2 were aged 6 to 10 years, and 8 were aged 11 to 18 years. Among the 13 patients, common clinical manifestations included abdominal pain in 5 patients, gross hematuria in 4, and an abdominal mass in 1, while the other 3 patients were incidentally detected after an abdominal contusion. The pathological types were microphthalmia family translocation RCC in 9 patients, clear-cell RCC in 2, papillary RCC in 1, and unclassified in 1. All the children underwent radical nephrectomy, including 2 patients with advanced disease who underwent preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. The mean follow-up time was 58.6 months. Two patients died after 4 and 17 months of follow-up, respectively.In conclusion, microphthalmia family translocation renal cell carcinoma is the predominant type of pediatric RCC associated with advanced tumor stage. The early diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients is important for improving prognosis. Nevertheless, future studies are urgently needed to determine the treatment for pediatric advanced RCC to increase the survival rate.

Current Recommendations, Controversies, and Potential Novel Approaches in the Treatment of Wilms Tumor

Wilms tumor (WT) is one of the most common renal malignancies in children, comprising about 5% of all childhood cancers. If diagnosed early, WT responds well to appropriate interventions such as surgical resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with a 5 year survival higher than 85%. In this review, we will describe the first-line treatment options for WT, discuss controversies related to particular modes of therapy, and highlight promising advances in molecular biology that may serve as effective therapeutics in the near future. Current treatment protocols for WT include nephrectomy followed by postoperative chemotherapy with or without preoperative chemotherapy. Though both are acceptable forms of treatment, preoperative chemotherapy prior to tumor resection has been shown to reduce tumor size and decrease the risk of intraoperative tumor rupture. Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization has also been shown to improve tumor resections and relapse-free survival rates, potentially providing an additive method to improve WT outcomes. Radical nephrectomy is the mainstay surgical treatment for WT, however evidence suggests that partial nephrectomies may be an equally viable option. Radiotherapy traditionally utilizes the anteroposterior-posteroanterior field technique, but recent advances have allowed for tumor-specific targeting and sparing of non-neoplastic tissues using intensity-modulated radiation therapy and volumetric-modulated arc therapy. Lastly, potential targets for future therapy include the β-catenin pathway, which has been found to be important in the development of WT, in addition to advances in applying microRNA, M6620, and stem cell therapy.

Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systemic chemotherapy for treatment of wilms’ tumor with atrial tumor thrombus: One case report

Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systemic chemotherapy for treatment of wilms’ tumor with atrial tumor thrombus: One case report

Sequential transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and portal vein embolization before right hemihepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundRecent studies showed that sequential selective transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and portal vein embolization (PVE) provided better future liver remnant (FLR) regeneration rate and disease-free survival following surgery compared with PVE alone. The present study aimed to clarify whether preoperative sequential TACE and PVE before right hemihepatectomy can reduce postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence and improve long-term disease-free and overall survival. MethodsRecurrence and survival outcomes were retrospectively evaluated in 205 patients with HCC who underwent right hemihepatectomy by a single surgeon from November 1993 to November 2017. Patients were divided into four groups according to the procedure performed before the surgery: sequential TACE and PVE (TACE-PVE), PVE-only, TACE-only, or naïve control groups. The baseline patient and tumor characteristics, postoperative outcomes, recurrence-free survival and overall survival were analyzed. ResultsBaseline patient and tumor characteristics upon diagnosis were similar in all four groups, while sequential TACE and PVE were well tolerated. The TACE-PVE group had a higher mean increase in percentage FLR volume compared with that of the PVE-only group (17.46% ± 6.63% vs. 12.14% ± 5.93%; P = 0.001). The TACE-PVE group had significantly better overall and disease-free survival rates compared with the other groups (both P < 0.001). ConclusionsSequential TACE and PVE prior to surgery can be an effective therapeutic strategy for patients with HCC scheduled for major hepatic resection. The active application of preoperative sequential TACE and PVE for HCC would allow more patients with marginal FLR volume to become candidates for major hepatic resection by promoting compensatory FLR hypertrophy without the deterioration of basal hepatic functional reserve or tumor progression.

Risk Factors for Deterioration of Remnant Liver Function After Hepatic Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

After primary resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the impact of patient's characteristics at the initial hepatectomy, on long-term remnant liver function has not been reported. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with the deterioration of remnant liver function among patients who developed recurrent HCC. A total of 51 patients with intrahepatic recurrence after initial hepatic resection for HCC were included. We retrospectively investigated the relation between patient characteristics and the degree of deterioration of remnant liver function upon recurrence. In univariate analysis, significant predictors of deterioration of remnant liver function consisted of preoperative gastro-esophageal varices (p=0.0101), preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (p=0.0230) and hepatectomy beyond Makuuchi's criteria (p=0.0101). In multivariate analysis, the only significant independent predictor of deterioration of remnant liver function was hepatectomy beyond Makuuchi's criteria (p=0.0498). Hepatectomy beyond Makuuchi's criteria at the initial hepatectomy may predict deterioration of remnant liver function upon recurrence of HCC.

Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for surgical resection of huge hepatocellular carcinoma (≥ 10cm): a multicenter propensity matching analysis.

Surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is potentially curative, but long-term survival remains unsatisfactory. There is currently no effective neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy for HCC. We sought to evaluate the impact of preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) on long-term prognosis after surgical resection of huge HCCs (≥ 10cm). Using a multicenter database, consecutive patients who underwent curative-intent resection for huge HCC without macrovascular invasion between 2004 and 2014 were identified. The association between preoperative TACE with perioperative outcomes, long-term overall survival (OS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was assessed before and after propensity score matching (PSM). Among the 377 enrolled patients, 88 patients (23.3%) received preoperative TACE. The incidence of perioperative mortality and morbidity was comparable among patients who did and did not undergo preoperative TACE (3.4% vs. 2.4%, p= 0.704, and 33.0% vs. 31.1%, p= 0.749, respectively). PSM analysis created 84 matched pairs of patients. In examining the entire cohort as well as the PSM cohort, median OS (overall cohort: 32.8 vs. 22.3months, p= 0.035, and PSM only: 32.8 vs. 18.1months, p= 0.023, respectively) and RFS (12.9 vs. 6.4months, p= 0.016, and 12.9 vs. 4.1months, p= 0.009, respectively) were better among patients who underwent preoperative TACE vs. patients who did not. After adjustment for other confounding factors on multivariable analyses, preoperative TACE remained independently associated with a favorable OS and RFS after the resection of huge HCC. Preoperative TACE did not increase perioperative morbidity or mortality, yet was associated with an improved OS and RFS after liver resection of huge HCC (≥ 10cm).

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization improves the resectability of malignant breast phyllodes tumor with angiosarcoma component: a case report

BackgroundA giant phyllodes tumor of the breast is a rare fibroepithelial lesion, and its treatment is controversial. Many case reports have reported performing skin graft reconstruction after tumor excision. Chest wall resection may be required if the tumor has invaded the chest muscle layer. We speculated that transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) can improve the resectability of malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast without requiring skin grafting. The English literature contains only one case report similar to our experience.Case presentationWe report a rare case of a 51-year-old woman who had a giant malignant phyllodes tumor with heterologous sarcomatous differentiation in her right breast. The tumor was 19.43 × 12.98 × 21.47 cm. Whole-body computed tomography (CT) and bone scan did not reveal distant metastasis. Chest magnetic resonance imaging showed chest wall tumor invasion. Considering that skin defects after mastectomy can be extensive, we administered four courses of chemoembolization in the 5 weeks before surgery (30 mg of epirubicin and embozene microspheres [400, 500, and 700 μm]/week). Each process was well tolerated, with no serious complications. Only fever and local pain at the tumor site were noted, and these symptoms resolved with time. The follow-up CT scan showed a 45% reduction in tumor volume. Therefore, simple mastectomy was performed without skin grafting reconstruction. Wound healing was satisfactory, and the patient was discharged 1 week after surgery. Pathological and immunohistochemistry (IHC) findings showed a malignant phyllodes tumor with an angiosarcoma component. Because of tumor invasion of the chest wall, we recommended the patient receive radiotherapy, but she refused. Two months after surgery, recurrence of the malignant phyllodes tumor with right axillary lymph node involvement and lung metastasis was confirmed.ConclusionInitial surgical resection of giant phyllodes tumors is often challenging. For initial presentation with unresectable giant phyllodes tumor, we recommend to perform TACE prior to surgery. In our patient, preoperative TACE was effective and safe. If the tumor has invaded the chest wall, early radiotherapy after surgery may be recommended for preventing recurrence.

Neoadjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and systemic chemotherapy for treatment of clear cell sarcoma of the kidney in children

BackgroundClear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK) is a rare and aggressive malignant renal tumor. We describe our experience with neoadjuvant transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systematic chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced CCSK in children. MethodsBetween January 2010 and December 2016, seven patients (3 boys and 4 girls; median 2.2 years) with advanced CCSK received preoperative TACE of renal artery and systemic chemotherapy. The chemoembolic emulsion for TACE consisted of cisplatin, pirarubicin, vindesine, and iodized oil. Preoperative systemic chemotherapy with vindesine, ifosfamide, and etoposide was administered three weeks after TACE. Nephrectomy was performed three weeks after systemic chemotherapy. After surgery, patients received radiotherapy and postoperative chemotherapy. ResultsNo cardiotoxicity, renal insufficiency, or hepatic dysfunction was found in any patients. Grade II–III marrow suppression developed in four patients. One patient with tumor progress during neoadjuvant therapy failed to successfully undergo surgery and died. Six patients underwent nephrectomy after neoadjuvant therapy. Median follow-up period was 49.5 months (range, 11–83 months). Five patients have recurrence-free survival. One patient is still in postoperative chemotherapy after nephrectomy, radiotherapy and thoracoscopic resection of lung metastases. ConclusionsNeoadjuvant TACE and systemic chemotherapy appeared to be feasible in the treatment of advanced CCSK in this pilot study. The type of studyA case series with no comparison group. Level of evidenceLevel IV.