Transarterial Chemoembolization Ablation Research Articles

Transarterial ablative therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma

Due to late diagnosis and a lack of organs only about 30 % of patients suffering from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergo curative treatment. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a routine procedure in intermediate stage HCC. In addition transarterial embolization (TAE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are available for these patients. For inoperable patients with HCC, TACE is superior to best supportive care in terms of survival. Combined with percutaneous ablation TACE achieves results similar to resection. Current developments, such as drug-eluting beads, TARE and multimodal treatment are well suited to further improve outcome in patients with intermediate stage HCC. Transarterial therapies in HCC should be applied in accordance with the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) criteria. Due to a better safety profile and potentially improved disease-free survival the use of drug-eluting beads should be liberally considered.