Transcatheter Arterial Chemotherapy Research Articles

Transcatheter arterial perfusion chemotherapy combined with lipiodol chemoembolization for advanced colorectal cancer complicated by obstruction.

Obstruction is a common complication of advanced colorectal cancer. This study was aimed at investigating the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of transcatheter arterial perfusion chemotherapy combined with lipiodol chemoembolization for treating advanced colorectal cancer complicated by obstruction. This retrospective analysis was conducted using clinical data of patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with lipiodol chemoembolization treatment at our center. Treatment efficacy was evaluated in terms of obstruction-free survival and overall survival, and treatment complications were monitored. Fifty-four patients with colorectal cancer complicated by obstruction were included. All patients successfully underwent transcatheter arterial infusion combined with lipiodol chemoembolization treatment. The average lipiodol dose administered was 2.62 ± 1.45 ml (0.5-5.5 ml). No serious complications such as perforation or tumor dissemination occurred. The clinical success rate was 83.3% (45/54). One month after treatment, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) were 66.67% and 88.9%, respectively. The median obstruction-free survival was 5.0 months. No serious adverse events occurred. As of the last follow-up, 6 patients survived, 44 died, and 4 were lost to follow-up. Our findings revealed that transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy combined with lipiodol chemoembolization is safe and effective for treating advanced colorectal cancer complicated by obstruction. It may serve as a new treatment strategy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer complicated by obstruction.

Current state and challenges of emerging biomarkers for immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma (Review).

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form of primary liver cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, among patients diagnosed with advanced liver cancer, HCC has the sixth-highest incident rate, resulting in a poor prognosis. Surgery, radiofrequency ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy are the current treatment options available. Immunotherapy, which has emerged as an innovative treatment strategy over the past decade, is serving a vital role in the treatment of advanced liver cancer. Since only a small number of individuals can benefit from immunotherapy, biomarkers are required to help clinicians identify the target populations for this precision medicine. These biomarkers, such as PD-1/PD-L1, tumor mutational burden and circulating tumor DNA, can be used to investigate interactions between immune checkpoint inhibitors and tumors. The present review summarizes information on the currently available biomarkers used for immunotherapy and the challenges that are present.

Prediction of common hepatic artery catheter insertion based on celiac trunk morphology

This study aimed to predict the ability to insert a 4-5 French (Fr) catheter insertion with a guidewire into the common hepatic artery (CHA) based on celiac trunk morphology. This retrospective study included 64 patients who underwent balloon-occluded transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (n = 56), transcatheter arterial chemotherapy (n = 2), or were fitted with an implantable port system (n = 6) between June 2019 and December 2019 in our institution. The morphology of the celiac trunk was classified into three types (upward, horizontal, and downward) based on celiac angiography. The aortic-celiac trunk angle was measured on sagittal images of preprocedural contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT). We reviewed whether a 4-5-Fr shepherd's hook catheter could advance beyond the CHA using a 0.035-inch guidewire (Radifocus® Guidewire M; Terumo). Three patients were diagnosed with median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) based on the characteristic hook shape of the celiac artery on sagittal images of contrast-enhanced CT. The predictive ability of celiac angiography and preprocedural CT for CHA insertion success was evaluated. In unsuccessful cases, the balloon anchor technique (BAT) was attempted as follows: (1) a 2.7/2.8-Fr microballoon catheter (Attendant Delta; Terumo) was placed beyond the proper hepatic artery, and (2) the balloon was inflated as an anchor for parent catheter advancement. Upward, horizontal, and downward celiac trunk types were noted in 42, 9, and 13 patients, respectively. The median CT angle was 122.83° (first quartile-third quartile, 102.88°-136.55°). Insertion in the CHA using the guidewire was successful in 56 of 64 patients (87.50%), and the success rate in the downward type was significantly lower than that in the upward type [42/42 (100%) vs. 7/13 (53.85%), P < 0.001]. The CT angle was significantly larger downward in the unsuccessful group than in the successful group (121.03° vs. 140.70°, P = 0.043). Celiac angiography had a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) than preprocedural CT (AUC = 0.91 vs. AUC = 0.72, P = 0.040). All three cases of MALS showed unsuccessful CHA insertion. In all eight patients with unsuccessful insertion, the catheter could be advanced using the BAT [8/8 (100%)]. Celiac angiography and preprocedural CT could predict CHA catheter insertion using a guidewire, and celiac angiography had high predictability. CT could detect MALS, a risk factor for unsuccessful CHA insertion.

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.

Conventional Therapies Do Not Prolong the Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Extrahepatic Metastases under Receiving of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors.

Simple SummaryTyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including sorafenib and lenvatinib, have been the current standard treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cases where an immune checkpoint inhibitor cannot be used. The SHARP study showed that sorafenib tended to be less effective for extrahepatic metastases than for vascular invasion. Moreover, lenvatinib showed a response similar to that of sorafenib in such patients. The aforementioned data suggested that the addition of conventional therapies, including chemoembolization and radiation therapy, may improve the prognosis of such patients. Our retrospective study found that TKI promoted a longer overall survival in patients with extrahepatic metastases compared to conventional therapies. TKI plus conventional therapies did not promote a better prognosis compared to TKI alone. Thus, conventional therapies can be an option when events that worsen the quality of life occur in HCC patients with extrahepatic metastases.Background: Conventional therapies, including chemoembolization and radiation therapy, have been expected to prolong the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with extrahepatic metastases, which remains poor. However, little information is available on the efficacy of conventional therapies for such patients under tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 127 HCC patients with extrahepatic metastases, who were divided into the non-TKI (conventional therapies) and TKI groups and further subdivided into the TKI alone and TKI plus conventional therapies groups. Conventional therapies included transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, cisplatin-based chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and UFT, an oral chemotherapeutic agent. Results: The median of the overall survival (OS) of the 127 patients with extrahepatic metastases was 7.0 months. Meanwhile, the median OS of the TKI and non-TKI groups was 12.1 and 4.1 months, respectively. Imitating TKI after diagnosing metastases promoted a favorable increase in OS. Among the TKI group, the median OS in the TKI alone group was 8.9 months. TKI plus conventional therapies promoted no improvement in OS after adjusting for the patients’ background data. Conclusion: TKI promoted a better OS in HCC patients with extrahepatic metastases compared to conventional therapies. However, TKI plus conventional therapies promoted no improvement in the prognosis of such patients.

Neoadjuvant intra-arterial versus intravenous chemotherapy in colorectal cancer.

To investigate the clinical benefits of transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy compared with intravenous chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).From May 2013 to March 2018, 83 patients (50 men and 33 women) with surgically proven CRC were retrospectively included. Before surgery, 62 patients received conventional systemic chemotherapy, and 21 transcatheter arterial chemotherapy. Basic characteristics, disease control rate (DC), adverse reactions, postoperative complications, and toxicity profiles were collected and compared between the 2 groups.The sigmoid colon (43.37%) was the most common primary tumor location, and the least was the transverse colon (6.02%). Most lesions invaded the subserosa or other structures T3-4 (78.31%), and other lesions invaded the muscular layer T1-2 (21. 69%). The overall DC was 80.65% in the intravenous chemotherapy group and 90.48% in the arterial chemotherapy group (P < .05). Adverse events included myelosuppression and gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal liver function, and neurotoxicity, which were significantly less common in the intra-arterial group than in the intravenous group (P < .05). Postoperative complications included abdominal infection (11.29% vs 14.29%), intestinal obstruction (6.45% vs 4.76%), anastomotic bleeding (1.61% vs 0.00%), and anastomotic fistula (6.45% vs 4.76%) in the intravenous and intra-arterial groups, respectively (P > .05).Preoperative transcatheter arterial infusion chemotherapy is a safe and effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy measure for CRC with fewer adverse reactions and a higher overall DC.

Efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer by transcatheter arterial chemotherapy

Efficacy and safety of nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine in the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer by transcatheter arterial chemotherapy

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

Characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma arising from Fontan-associated liver disease.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can arise from Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD); this is known as FALD-HCC. The clinical features of FALD-HCC are unclear. Thus, we examined the incidence and clinical characteristics of FALD-HCC. From 1972 to 2019, 122 patients developed liver disease after undergoing Fontan procedures. HCC was diagnosed in 12 (9.8%) FALD patients. We compared FALD-HCC and non-HCC patients. The incidence of HCC was 0.8% and 2.9% in FALD 10 and 20years after the Fontan procedure, respectively. The median age of patients at diagnosis of HCC was 32.5years (range 20.6-46.1years), and seven of the 12 patients were men. Patients with FALD-HCC had a higher incidence of liver cirrhosis and polysplenia than non-HCC patients. Liver tumors were detected as single nodules in eight patients, and the median diameter was 47mm (range 11-105mm). HCC was treated by surgical resection in two patients, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization or chemotherapy in three patients, and proton beam therapy in four patients. Three patients could not be treated because of their poor condition. Four patients died of liver/cardiac failure and HCC, and HCC was controlled in three patients. The survival rate after 25years was significantly lower in patients with FALD-HCC than non-HCC patients (68.6% vs. 97.9%, respectively; P < 0.01). Of the 122 patients with FALD, 12 developed HCC 20years after surgery. Because complications of HCC are associated with poor prognosis, constant surveillance for HCC should begin 10years after surgery.

Endoarterial Treatment in Combination With Percutaneous Thermoablation for Medium-sized and Oligonodular Hepatocellular Carcinomas

Background & Aims: The association of transcatheter arterial chemotherapy infusion (TAC) with percutaneous ablation (PT) has been introduced as a method to increase the size of the ablative zone and treat satellites micronodules. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of PT and TAC performed in a single session for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) between 30 and 50 mm or oligonodular HCC up to 30 mm. Methods: Thirty patients with a histologically proven HCC, uninodular between 30 and 50 mm or oligonodular (n≤3) up to 30 mm, treatment-naive and non-metastatic, received the combination treatment (“PT+TAC group”). A “control” group consisted of 34 patients with uninodular HCC up to 30 mm without any poor prognostic criteria treated with PT alone (“PT group”). Results: The majority of patients were cirrhotic (90% vs 91%, respectively for the PT+TAC and PT groups), Child-Pugh A (83% vs 85%), with a Performans Status of 0 (80% vs 79%). There was no significant difference in the median alpha-fetoprotein level (15 vs 9.3 μg/l, p=0.39). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS was no significantly different in both groups: 100%, 82% and 48.5% in the PT+TAC group vs 94.1%, 72.7% and 65.2% in the PT group (p=0.88). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year relapse-free survival was significantly lower in the PT+TAC group: 59.3%, 18.5% and 5.6% vs 89.3%, 46.4% and 24.5%, in the PT group (p=0.02). Conclusion: The combination treatment for HCC between 30 and 50 mm or oligonodular up to 30 mm, showed a similar OS, compared to uninodular HCC up to 30 mm without poor prognostic criteria, treated with PT alone, at the price of earlier tumor 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.

Efficacy and Safety of Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Transcatheter Arterial Chemotherapy Infusion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide health threat with increasing incidence and a high mortality rate. Most HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage and are unable to undergo potential curative surgery. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transcatheter arterial chemotherapy infusion (TACI) are two of the main palliative treatments for advanced HCC patients. The clinical efficacy and safety of TACE and TACI are controversial. For this reason, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the current evidence. We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies that compared the clinical outcomes and adverse effects in HCC patients who received TACE or TACI treatments. The database search was performed and last updated on November 1, 2016. Overall survival and clinical response were compared using a hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). A total of 11 clinical studies that included 13,090 patients were included based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria, of which 9 were cohort studies and 2 were RCTs. TACE was associated with a 23% lower hazard of death compared to TACI (pooled HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.67–0.88, p = 0.0002). Patients receiving TACE had a 28% higher disease control rate (DCR) and 162% higher objective response rate (ORR). Only the increase in ORR associated with TACE was statistically significant [DCR: odds ratio (OR) = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.35–4.64, p = 0.71; ORR: OR = 2.62, 95% CI = 1.33–5.15, p = 0.002]. TACE is associated with more favorable survival and response rate than TACI in patients with intermediate or advanced HCC.

Preoperative transcatheter arterial chemotherapy may suppress oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and reduce the risk of short-term relapse.

In this study, we aim to investigate oxidative stress in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues in patients receiving preoperative transcatheter arterial chemotherapy (TAC) and its association with prognosis. A total of 89 HCC patients enrolled in this study, 39 received preoperative TAC 1 week before surgery (pTAC group) and 50 did not (non-pTAC group). All patients underwent hepatectomy and postoperative TAC and were followed up to 400 weeks. Samples of liver tissue without HCC and hepatitis (n = 15) served as normal controls. Cellular levels of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), TP53, and p21waf1/cip1 were measured in both cancer and surrounding tissues using an immunohistochemistry assay. Taken together, our data suggested that preoperative TAC might postpone postoperative HCC relapse within 1 year via suppression of tumor cells by induction of high levels of oxidative stress.

Survival of unresectable pancreatic cancer treated with transcatheter arterial chemotherapy based on gemcitabine: Analysis of 498 cases

<dm:abstracts xmlns:dm="http://www.elsevier.com/xml/dm/dtd"><ce:abstract xmlns:ce="http://www.elsevier.com/xml/common/dtd" xml:lang="en" id="abs0010" view="all" class="author"><ce:section-title id="sectitle0010">Short Summary</ce:section-title><ce:abstract-sec id="abssec0010" view="all"><ce:simple-para id="abspara0010" view="all">We compared the clinical disease and immunological conditions of Heterotaxy syndrome patients with or without spleen and found that asplenia is associated to significant increased frequency of infection and reduction of IgM memory B cells.</ce:simple-para></ce:abstract-sec></ce:abstract></dm:abstracts>

Long term survival analysis of primary hepatocarcinoma patients received transcatheter arterial chemoembolization plus chemotherapy after radical resection

To evaluate the survival of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients received prophylactic use of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) after radical resection. One hundred and forty-three cases of HCC from Ningbo No.2 Hospital were divided into intervention prevention group, chemotherapy prevention group and comprehensive prevention group according to different methods of HCC prevention. All patients were followed-up for more than 5 years after TACE, chemotherapy (FOLPOX4) or TACE+ FOLPOX4. Cox regression model of multiple factors analysis was used for analyzing impact factors on HCC prognosis. Survival rate was compared with Kaplan-meier method. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was negatively correlated with the survival time of patients, as an independent risk factor with the regression coefficient of 0.01 and the relative risk of 1.00. Prevention of postoperative increased survival time of patients with HCC, which was a protective factor. The regression coefficient for comprehensive prevention was -2.37 and the relative risk was 0.07, the weight of comprehensive prevention on lifetime was higher than that of other two prevention methods, followed by TACE prevention group. One-year, 2-year, 3-year cumulative survival rates in comprehensive prevention group were 78.35%， 69.16%， 24.43%， that in TACE prevention group were 76.87%， 62.48%， 24.72%， and that in chemotherapy prevention group were 62.23%， 43.22%， 19.54%， respectively. AFP was negative correlation with the survival time of postoperative HCC patients, monitored which of postoperative HCC patients can provide a reference for effect and prognosis of surgery. Application of TACE in HCC patients with postoperative effective in reducing mortality, which prolong the survival time of HCC patients might be extended further by combined chemotherapy based on its own advantages and disadvantages.

The heterogeneity and clinical relevance of circulating tumor-initiating cells in hepatocellular carcinoma using an integrated immunomagnetic-microfluidic platform.

e15132 Background: Circulating tumor-initiating cells (CTICs) with stem cell-like properties play important roles in tumor metastasis and recurrence. Little is known about CTICs biology and their clinical relevance. By using a novel integrated immunomagnetic-microfluidic platform, we investigated CTICs heterogeneity, molecular feature and clinical relevance in HCC. Methods: The CTICs detection platform was constructed and cell capture efficiency was evaluated using spiked cell experiments and was further compared with CellSearch system. We applied a four-channel microfluidic chip to investigate the composition of CTICs via simultaneous detection of 4 CTICs subsets (EpCAM+, CD133+, CD90+ and CD24+) in 14 primary HCCs and 13 recurrent HCCs. The dynamic changes of 4 CTICs subsets were serially monitored in 5 HCC patients. The retrieved CTICs were subjected to single-cell RNA profile. Results: A paired comparison in 25 HCC patients indicated that the number of EpCAM+ CTICs detected by microfluidic platform was significantly higher compared with CellSearch system (0.66±0.70 vs. 0.19±0.29, P=0.038). EpCAM+ CTICs ≥0.75/ml detected by the platform was a significant predictor of early recurrence (P<0.001). The median proportion of EpCAM, CD133, CD90 and CD24 subsets was 66.67%, 9.06%, 0%, and 0% in primary HCC and 0%, 0%, 52.27% and 9.09% in recurrent HCC, respectively. Serial CTICs monitoring in 5 patients suggested that the HCC recurrence was associated with an increase in CD90+ CTICs. Remarkably, acquired resistance to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization chemotherapy was accompanies by increasing proportion of CD24+ CTICs (0% to 75%). Single-cell transcriptional profiling showed heterogeneity among individual CTICs, separating 4 CTIC subsets into two distinct populations: EpCAM+ and CD24+ cells with epithelial phenotype, CD133+ cells and CD90+ cells with mesenchymal feature. Conclusions: CTICs heterogeneity was existed during tumor progression. The platform represents a novel and informative tool for accurate CTICs detection and characterization, enabling in-depth cancer biology research and clinical cancer management.

Primary hepatic angiosarcoma and potential treatment options

Angiosarcomas account for a mere 2-3% of adult soft tissue sarcomas, with an overall poor outcome. Depending on the primary site, angiosarcomas have distinct prognosis. Primary hepatic angiosarcomas (PHAs) are much rare tumors, with worse prognosis compared with other angiosarcomas. PHA is reported to be associated with vinyl chloride, but the majority of patients were still with unknown etiology. As PHA lacks specific symptoms, signs, or images, pathological diagnosis is necessary. The review summarizes 25 articles published from January 2000 to December 2012, including 64 cases of PHA with detailed information. Survival curves are estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method by SPSS 21.0. We find that the median survival time is 5 months; local excision alone or combination with adjuvant therapy is the optimal choice, with median survival time of 17 months. In addition, liver transplant is abandoned for high recurrence rate; emergent transcatheter arterial embolization is thought to be an efficient method for controlling intra-abdominal bleeding; and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and chemotherapy may be helpful in improving survival.

Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization and Chemotherapy plus Sorafenib in a Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Arterioportal Shunt.

Introduction. Arterioportal shunts (APS) are sometimes encountered in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and associated with poor prognosis. The management of HCC with APS is a challenge so far. Case Presentations. We report here in detail a 37-year-old man who was diagnosed as an advanced HCC accompanied with severe APS and treated by two sessions of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and three sessions of transcatheter arterial chemotherapy (TAC) plus sorafenib therapy. The tumor shrinks were revealed continuously during 152 days after the diagnosis. Although tumor progress emerged at 209 days after the diagnosis, the patient remarkably achieved 366-day survival. Discussion. TACE plus sorafenib may be a promising treatment for advanced HCC accompanied with APS. Prospective case-control studies should be advocated to evaluate the combination of TACE, TAC, and sorafenib in the management of HCC with APS.

Advances in non-surgical management of primary liver cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. There have been great improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in recent years, but the problems, including difficult diagnosis at early stage, quick progression, and poor prognosis remain unsolved. Surgical resection is the mainstay of the treatment for HCC. However, 70%-80% of HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when most are ineligible for potentially curative therapies such as surgical resection and liver transplantation. In recent years, non-surgical management for unrespectable HCC, such as percutaneous ethanol injection, percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy, percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, biotherapy, and hormonal therapy have been developed. These therapeutic options, either alone or in combination, have been shown to control tumor growth, prolong survival time, and improve quality of life to some extent. This review covers the current status and progress of non-surgical management for HCC.

Comparison of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and transcatheter arterial chemotherapy infusion for patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to compare clinical outcomes in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent the following treatments: transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) using an epirubicin-mitomycin-lipiodol (EML) emulsion at initial therapy (TACE group; n=145), and transcatheter chemotherapy infusion (TACI) using an EML emulsion at initial therapy (TACI group; n=81). Overall survival (OS) and treatment efficacy in the TACE and TACI groups were retrospectively compared. Prognostic factors associated with OS were examined using univariate and multivariate analyses. Treatment-related mortality was also calculated. The median observation periods were 1.8 years (range, 0.2-9.0 years) in the TACE group and 2.0 years (range, 0.2-8.7 years) in the TACI group. The median survival time and the 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year cumulative OS rates were 2.68 years and 81.5, 63.4, 43.9 and 32.7%, respectively, in the TACE group, and 2.64 years and 85.0, 60.0, 43.2 and 26.0%, respectively, in the TACI group (P=0.691). The objective response rate was significantly higher in the TACE group compared to the TACI group (80.0 vs. 66.7%; P=0.009). Using multivariate analysis, the Child-Pugh classification (P=0.017), tumor number ≤5 (P=0.045) and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin level >100mAU/ml (P=0.002) were found to be significant predictors linked to OS. In all subgroup analyses involving Child-Pugh classification, maximum tumor size and tumor distribution, the differences in the two groups did not reach statistical significance in terms of OS. Treatment mortality was 0% in the two groups. In conclusion, patients with intermediate-stage HCC had a comparable prognosis when treated with TACI or TACE.