Transarterial Chemoembolization In Patients Research Articles

Radiofrequency Ablation Combined With Transarterial Chemoembolization for Specially Located Small Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency ablation combined with transarterial chemoembolization in patients with specially located small hepatocellular carcinoma.Materials and Methods:Between March 2014 and March 2017, a total of 26 patients with 26 lesions (10 perivascular, 6 subdiaphragmatic, 5 subcapsular, 5 perivascular, and subdiaphragmatic location; mean diameter 2.12 (0.62) cm), who received radiofrequency ablation–transarterial chemoembolization treatment, were retrospectively analyzed. Local tumor response was assessed by computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging 1 month after the procedure. Tumor-free survival was also assessed according to the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Complications were evaluated according to the National Cancer Institute’s Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 4.0).Results:Complete response was achieved in all patients 1 month after the procedure. During a median follow-up duration of 16.76 months (95% confidence interval: 7.78-25.73 months), local tumor recurrence occurred in 2 patients and new intrahepatic lesions developed in 7 patients. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year cumulative local tumor progression rates were 3.84%, 7.69%, and 7.69%, respectively. The median tumor-free survival duration was 21.96 months (95% confidence interval: 17.58-26.34 months). The 1-, 2-, and 3-year tumor-free survival rates were 67.4%, 46.1%, and 39.3%, respectively.Conclusion:The radiofrequency ablation–transarterial chemoembolization combination therapy appears to be safe and effective and might be a treatment option for specially located small hepatocellular carcinoma lesions that have a risk of incomplete ablation or major complications.

Transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: study of different outcomes and their predictive factors

Transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: study of different outcomes and their predictive factors

Transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Study of different outcomes and their predictive factors

Transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: Study of different outcomes and their predictive factors

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Posttransplant Hepatic Artery and Biliary Complications in Patients Treated With Transarterial Chemoembolization Before Liver Transplantation.

Hepatic artery complications are feared complications after liver transplantation and may compromise the biliary tract, graft, and patient survival. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare risk of hepatic artery and biliary complications after liver transplantation in patients who underwent neoadjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus no TACE. Comprehensive searches were performed in Embase, MEDLINE OvidSP, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Cochrane databases to identify studies concerning hepatocellular cancer patients undergoing preliver transplantation TACE. Quality assessment of studies was done by the validated checklist of Downs and Black. Meta-analyses were performed to evaluate the incidence of all hepatic artery complications, hepatic artery thrombosis, and biliary tract complications, using binary random-effect models. Fourteen retrospective studies, representing 1122 TACE patients, met the inclusion criteria. Postoperative hepatic artery complications consisted of hepatic artery thrombosis, stenosis, and (pseudo)-aneurysms. Preliver transplantation TACE was significantly associated with occurrence of posttransplant hepatic artery complications (odds ratio, 1.57; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.26; P = 0.02). No significant association between neoadjuvant TACE and hepatic artery thrombosis alone or biliary tract complications was found. Patients treated with TACE before liver transplantation may be at increased risk for development of hepatic artery complications after liver transplantation.

Portal hypertension is associated with poor outcome of transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

To determine whether clinically relevant portal hypertension (CRPH) influences outcome and whether it may serve as a prognostic marker in patients treated with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). One hundred and forty-seven patients underwent conventional TACE as a first-line treatment for a single HCC. CRPH was graded as 0, 1, or 2. The influence of CRPH, together with other factors, on local tumour progression (LTP) and overall survival (OS) were analysed using Cox proportional hazards regression. A higher CRPH grade (grade 1, p = 0.005, hazard ratio [HR] = 3.282; grade 2, p < 0.001, HR = 7.144) and less selective catheterization (p = 0.009, HR = 1.951) were significantly associated with early LTP. Regarding OS, older age, (p < 0.001, HR = 1.050), CRPH grade 2 (p = 0.024, HR = 2.058), and a larger tumour (p < 0.001, HR = 1.454) were significantly associated with early death. Portal hypertension was significantly associated with poor outcome after TACE, and non-invasive CRPH grading may be a useful prognostic marker of TACE. • Portal hypertension was significantly associated with poor outcome after TACE. • Grading portal hypertension non-invasively can help predict TACE outcome in HCC patients. • CRPH grading can aid in selecting optimal candidates for TACE.

Retrograde portal vein flow and transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma – a case–control study

Background and aims: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most common treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In case of portal vein (PV) flow diversion, outcome may be compromised due to a decompensation of hepatic perfusion following arterial embolization. The aim of this study was to determine whether TACE in patients with retrograde PV flow results in a stronger deterioration of liver function and a poorer survival compared to patients with orthograde PV flow.Methods: A database of 606 patients treated with TACE between 2000 and 2015 at Hannover Medical School was screened for Doppler ultrasound (US) findings on PV flow prior to TACE. A total of 407 patients were identified, among which 32 patients had retrograde PV flow.Results: Patients with retrograde PV flow had significantly more often liver cirrhosis with advanced hepatic dysfunction (93.5% vs. 72.7%, p < .05). Median overall survival (OS) was 12 and 19 months in patients with retro- and orthograde PV flow, respectively (HR 1.27, p > .05). Patients with retrograde PV flow showed a trend for a shorter OS when matched for cirrhosis (12 vs. 21months, HR 1.51), Child-Pugh score/albumin-bilirubin grade (12 vs. 15 months). There was no difference in the deterioration of liver function after repeated treatments between both groups as assessed by increase of CP points and ALBI grade.Conclusions: Retrograde PV flow alone was not a significant prognostic marker, but patients with retrograde PV flow and advanced liver cirrhosis treated with TACE had a very short survival. Assessment of PV flow prior TACE may be helpful in borderline cases considered for TACE.

Survival benefit of transarterial chemoembolization in patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma: a single center experience

BackgroundAs prognosis of patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is mainly determined by intrahepatic HCC progression, local treatment with TACE may result in improved OS, although it is not recommended. The purpose of this study was to analyze retrospectively the efficacy of TACE and its impact on OS in patients with metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).MethodsTwo hundred and fifteen patients with metastatic HCC who were treated at our Liver Center between 2003 and 2014 were included in this retrospective analysis. Medical records, laboratory parameters and imaging studies were analyzed. Treatment of metastatic HCC and OS were assessedResultsOne hundred and two patients (47.4%) did not receive any HCC specific treatment while 48 patients (22.3%) were treated with sorafenib, 42 patients (19.5%) with TACE and 23 patients (10.7%) received treatment with TACE and sorafenib in combination. Survival analyses and Cox regression models revealed that TACE and a combination therapy of TACE and sorafenib were significant prognostic factors in metastatic HCC. However, further analyses revealed that there was no additional prognostic effect of adding sorafenib to TACE treatment in this patient cohort.ConclusionsIn metastatic HCC, treatment of intrahepatic tumor by TACE may be associated with improved survival. These results support the prognostic importance of treating intrahepatic HCC even in patients with metastatic disease. Therefore, we suggest evaluating the technical feasibility of TACE in all metastatic patients.

Average treatment effect of hepatic resection versus locoregional therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma.

When comparing the efficacy of surgical and non-surgical therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a major limitation is the causal inference problem. This concerns the impossibility of seeing both outcomes of two different treatments for the same individual at the same time because one is inevitably missing. This aspect can be addressed methodologically by estimating the so-called average treatment effect (ATE). To estimate the ATE of hepatic resection over locoregional therapies for HCC, data from patients treated in two tertiary care settings between August 2000 and December 2014 were used to obtain counterfactual outcomes using an inverse probability weight survival adjustment. A total of 1585 patients were enrolled: 815 underwent hepatic resection, 337 radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and 433 transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). The option of operating on all patients who had tumour ablation returned an ATE of +9·8 months for resection (effect size 0·111; adjusted P = 0·064). The option of operating on all patients who had TACE returned an ATE of +27·9 months (effect size 0·383; adjusted P < 0·001). The ATE of surgery was negligible in patients undergoing ablation for very early HCCs (effect size 0·027; adjusted P = 0·627), independently of albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade; or in patients with ALBI liver function grade 2 (effect size 0·083; adjusted P = 0·213), independently of tumour stage. In all other instances, the ATE of surgery was notably greater. Operating on patients who had TACE with multinodular HCC beyond the Milan criteria resulted in a mild ATE (effect size 0·140; adjusted P = 0·037). ATE estimation suggests that hepatic resection is a better treatment option than ablation and TACE in patients with HCC.

Sorafenib improves lipiodol deposition in transarterial chemoembolization of Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a long-term, retrospective study.

ObjectiveThough synergy of sorafenib and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is well discussed in previous reports, association of lipiodol retention by sorafenib addition to TACE with the survival outcomes remain elusive. Therefore, we studied the impact of sorafenib addition to TACE on survival outcomes mediated by lipiodol retention.Materials and MethodsThis is a long-term, retrospective, single-center study using medical records of patients diagnosed with HCC at the Department of Interventional Radiology of Zhengzhou University Affiliated Cancer Hospital (China) between April 2004 and March 2012.ResultsLipiodol deposition of > 50% was significantly increased in TACE + sorafenib group (70.87%) compared to TACE alone group (45.11%) (P = 0.0001). Significant increase in lipiodol deposition with sorafenib treatment was observed compared to TACE alone group (OR = 0.449, P = 0.041). The median overall survival in TACE + sorafenib and TACE alone groups were 38 months [95% CI = 9.772–56.228] and 31 months [95% CI = 21.855–40.145] respectively. Also, the hazard of death was comparatively greater in TACE alone group than TACE + sorafenib group [HR = 1.071]. Response rate to the therapy significantly increased after sorafenib administration to TACE patients, [compared to TACE alone treatment [69/103 (66.99%)] vs 55/133 (41.35%)], P = 0.0001.ConclusionsLipiodol deposition is significantly increased upon sorafenib addition after TACE. However, there was no significant impact of lipiodol deposition on the survival benefits exerted by the synergistic combination and hence, future prospective trails are warranted to validate the findings of this study.

Use of transcatheter contrast-enhanced ultrasound with vessel navigation to reduce the contrast requirement during transarterial chemoembolization in patients with renal impairment.

Use of transcatheter contrast-enhanced ultrasound with vessel navigation to reduce the contrast requirement during transarterial chemoembolization in patients with renal impairment.

Tumor stage and primary treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma at a large tertiary hospital in China: A real-world study.

The current clinical reality of tumor stages and primary treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly understood. This study reviewed the distribution of tumor stages and primary treatment modalities among a large population of patients with primary HCC. Medical records of patients treated between January 2003 and October 2013 for primary HCC at our tertiary hospital in China were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 6241 patients were analyzed. The distribution of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stages was as follows: stage 0/A, 28.9%; stage B, 16.2%; stage C, 53.6%; stage D, 1.3%. The distribution of Hong Kong Liver Cancer (HKLC) stages was as follows: stage I, 8.4%; stage IIa, 1.5%; stage IIb, 29.0%; stage IIIa, 10.0%; stage IIIb, 33.6%; stage IVa, 3.4%; stage IVb, 2.5%; stage Va, 0.2%; stage Vb, 11.4%. The most frequent therapy was hepatic resection for patients with BCLC-0/A/B disease, and transarterial chemoembolization for patients with BCLC-C disease. Both these treatments were the most frequent for patients with HKLC I to IIIb disease, while systemic chemotherapy was the most frequent first-line therapy for patients with HKLC IVa or IVb disease. The most frequent treatment for patients with HKLC Va/Vb disease was traditional Chinese medicine. In conclusion, Prevalences of BCLC-B and -C disease, and of HKLC I to IIIb disease, were relatively high in our patient population. Hepatic resection and transarterial chemoembolization were frequent first-line therapies.

The survival benefit of laparoscopic ablation over trans-arterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ineligible for liver resection or percutaneous ablation

The survival benefit of laparoscopic ablation over trans-arterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma ineligible for liver resection or percutaneous ablation

Protocol for an integrated phase II/III randomised controlled trial of transarterial chemotherapy and sorafenib with or without stereotactic body radiation therapy in patients with nonmetastatic unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background:&lt;/strong&gt; Vast majority of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) present with unresectable disease. In the last decade results of randomized trials and subsequent meta-analyses established trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as standard of care in patients with Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B. However, there is clearly a need to investigate additional therapeutic options that would consolidate the initial response to TACE. A recent meta-analyses concluded that addition of radiation to TACE had 10-35% improvement in two-year overall survival, however as results of meta-analyses were based on small studies, the need for conducting a high quality randomized study was highlighted. The present study is designed to investigate the role of high dose stereotactic radiation as consolidation therapy after TACE in patients with non-metastatic unresectable HCC&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt; Patients diagnosed with non-metastatic unresectable HCC with BCLC stage B/A (medically inoperable) and Child-Pugh’s score A-B7 will be eligible. The trial will randomize patients into TACE alone arm or TACE followed by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). The primary aim is to compare in-field progression free survival (PFS) in phase II and overall survival in phase III between the control (TACE) and intervention arm (TACE+SBRT). The secondary aim is to compare cause specific survival, imaging response and quality of life in control and intervention arms&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt; First analysis of the study has been planned when patient accrued under phase II study have completed 1 year follow up&lt;span lang="EN-IN"&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang="NL"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="abstract"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span lang="NL"&gt;Trail Registration: &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span lang="NL"&gt;Clinicaltrials.gov,NCT02794337&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Factors of Pain and Pain Management after Transarterial Chemoembolization in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors of pain and pain management after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Participants were 99 inpatients with HCC who underwent TACE at C University in Seoul from May to October 2016. The instruments used in this study were the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), the Pain Management Index (PMI), and the modified Patient Outcome Questionnaire (American Pain Society). The data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0, specifically descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Results: The percentage of patients who experienced pain after TACE was 66.7%. The mean pain score immediately after TACE was 4.43±2.36 and the highest score on average was 6.58±2.32. The pain score was highest at 5.24±5.67 hours after TACE. Significant factors influencing pain after TACE were the extent of embolization and the ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) score, which explained 26% of the variance in pain. PMI scores revealed that 33.3% of the participants were inadequately treated for pain. Conclusion: In order to properly manage pain after TACE, medical staff need accurate understanding of pain and to administer the appropriate dosage of analgesics. The development of pain management protocol for patients who have undergone TACE would help achieve these goals.

SAT-101 - Plasma micoRNA-21, 26a, and 29a-3p as a predictive marker for treatment response following transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

SAT-101 - Plasma micoRNA-21, 26a, and 29a-3p as a predictive marker for treatment response following transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Plasma micoRNA-122 as a predictive marker for treatment response following transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Circulating microRNA (miR)-122 has recently been investigated as a potential biomarker of various hepatic diseases, such as chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We investigated the association between plasma miR-122 levels and the treatment outcomes following transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in HCC patients. We included 177 HCC patients treated with TACE in the study; TACE refractoriness and liver transplantation-free survival were evaluated during follow up. Pretreatment plasma miR-122 levels were assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Relative quantification of miR-122 expression (fold change) was determined using the 2(-ΔΔCt) method. MiR-16 was used as an internal control for the normalization of miRNA data. During the mean follow up of 22.4 (range, 1-79) months, 112 (69.5%) patients exhibited TACE refractoriness. Multivariate analyses showed that tumor number (hazard ratio [HR], 2.51; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-4.41; P = 0.001) and tumor size (HR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.62-4.32; P = 0.000) can independently predict overall TACE refractoriness. High miR-122 expression (> 100) was associated with early TACE refractoriness (within 1 year; HR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.12-6.86; P = 0.028), together with tumor number (HR, 22.73; 95% CI, 2.74-188.66; P = 0.004) and tumor size (HR, 4.90; 95% CI, 1.99-12.06; P = 0.001). Univariate analyses showed that high miR-122 expression tends to be associated with poor liver transplantation-free survival (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.95-2.11; P = 0.085). However, it was statistically insignificant in multivariate analysis. High expression levels of plasma miR-122 are associated with early TACE refractoriness in HCC patients treated with TACE.

Postsurgical treatment with adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma: A strobe-compliant article.

This study sought to develop a reliable and easy-to-use scoring model to guide the decision to perform postsurgical adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization (PA-TACE) in patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).The study included 235 consecutive patients with hepatitis B-related HCC undergoing PA-TACE at our medical center. Patients were assigned to 2 sets according to the PA-TACE date: initial (2005–2007; n = 130) and internal validation (2008–2009; n = 105) sets. With the aid of a Cox regression model, we developed a risk-scoring model from the independent predictive factors of our initial set designed as a guide for PA-TACE, and the performance of the model was validated with an internal set. External validation was also performed with an independent dataset (n = 84) to assess the discriminatory power of the scoring model.In the multivariate analysis, 4 risk factors (an increase in Child-Pugh score of at least 1 point, hepatitis B virus deoxyribonucleic acid [HBV-DNA] level >104 IU/mL, tumor diameter ≥5 cm, and the presence of vascular invasion) were significantly associated with prognosis. These factors were incorporated into a novel clinicopathological scoring model (assessment for PA-TACE [APT] risk-scoring model) ranging from 0 to 8 that was correlated with prognosis. Different survival outcomes were identified in three groups (0–2 points, 3–6 points, and 7–8 points). The risk-scoring model was further confirmed with 2 independent sets.The novel APT risk-scoring model, merging 4 prognostic factors, may achieve an optimal postsurgical prediction of PA-TACE in HBV-related HCC. The risk for an individual patient with an APT score of ≥7.0 prior to the PA-TACE, who may not profit from further PA-TACE, can be determined, and this may lead to a more appropriate choice of treatment.

The Role of Dual-Phase Cone-Beam CT in Predicting Short-Term Response after Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

PurposeTo identify computational and qualitative features derived from dual-phase cone-beam CT that predict short-term response in patients undergoing transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and MethodsThis retrospective study included 43 patients with 59 HCCs. Six features were extracted, including intensity of tumor enhancement on both phases and characteristics of the corona on the washout phase. Short-term response was evaluated by modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors on follow-up imaging, and extracted features were correlated to response using univariate and multivariate analyses. ResultsUnivariate and multivariate analyses did not reveal a correlation between absolute and relative tumor enhancement characteristics on either phase with response (arterial P = .21; washout P = .40; ∆ P = .90). On multivariate analysis of qualitative characteristics, the presence of a diffuse corona was an independent predictor of incomplete response (P = .038) and decreased the odds ratio of objective response by half regardless of tumor size. ConclusionsComputational features extracted from contrast-enhanced dual-phase cone-beam CT are not prognostic of response to transarterial chemoembolization in patients with HCC. HCCs that demonstrate a diffuse, patchy corona have reduced odds of achieving complete response after transarterial chemoembolization and should be considered for additional treatment with an alternative modality.

Efficacy and Safety of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Following Transarterial Chemoembolization in Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Efficacy and Safety of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Following Transarterial Chemoembolization in Patients With Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Combined hepatectomy and radiofrequency ablation versus TACE in improving survival of patients with unresectable BCLC stage B HCC

Combined hepatectomy and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) provides an additional treatment for patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are conventionally deemed unresectable. This study aimed to analyze the outcome of this combination therapy by comparing it with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). We retrospectively reviewed 51 patients with unresectable BCLC stage B HCC who had received the combination therapy. We compared the survival of these patients with that of 102 patients in the TACE group (control). Prognostic factors associated with worse survival in the combination group were analyzed. No differences in tumor status and liver function were observed between the TACE group and combination group. The median survival time for the combination group and TACE group was 38 (6-54) and 17 (3-48) months, respectively (P<0.001). The combination group required longer hospitalization than the TACE group [8 (5-14) days vs 4 (2-9) days, P<0.001]. More than two ablations decreased the survival rate in the combination group. Combined hepatectomy and RFA yielded a better long-term outcome than TACE in patients with unresectable BCLC stage B HCC. Patients with a limited ablated size (≤2 cm), a limited number of ablations (≤2), and adequate surgical margin should be considered candidates for combination therapy.