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Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Hepatol. Jan 27, 2015; 7(1): 40-43
Published online Jan 27, 2015. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v7.i1.40
Review of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Zhi-Hui Gao, Dou-Sheng Bai, Guo-Qing Jiang, Sheng-Jie Jin
Zhi-Hui Gao, Dou-Sheng Bai, Guo-Qing Jiang, Sheng-Jie Jin, Hepato-bilio-pancreatic Surgery Department, Subei People’s Hospital, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Gao ZH and Bai DS performed the majority of the work for this review; Bai DS designed the review; Gao ZH wrote the manuscript; Jiang GQ and Jin SJ assisted with designing, literature searching and manuscript editing.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Dou-Sheng Bai, MD, Professor, Chief, Hepato-bilio-pancreatic Surgery Department, Subei People’s Hospital, Yangzhou University, 98 Nantong West Road, Yangzhou 225001, Jiangsu Province, China. bdsno1@hotmail.com
Telephone: +86-514-87373375 Fax: +86-514-87990188
Received: July 20, 2014
Peer-review started: July 20, 2014
First decision: October 14, 2014
Revised: October 28, 2014
Accepted: November 17, 2014
Article in press: November 19, 2014
Published online: January 27, 2015
Processing time: 174 Days and 4.8 Hours
Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the few cancers whose incidence has been continually increasing over recent years. Resection of HCC offers the only hope for cure. However, recurrences are common in patients who have undergone resection. In our opinion, the effectiveness with which transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as a neoadjuvant therapy for resectable HCC prevents recurrence and prolongs survival has not been conclusively demonstrated. All published meta-analyses have consistently failed to demonstrate that preoperative TACE improves the prognosis of resectable HCC. We believe that these published articles have several limitations and have our own views about the results of meta-analyses. It is very important that the scientific community shed more light on the pathogenesis of HCC and relate this to choice of therapy. This review mainly concerns our understanding of preoperative TACE for resectable HCC and briefly addresses desirable directions for future studies.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Surgical resection; Transarterial chemoembolization; Preoperative; Review

Core tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most common neoplasm and third most frequent cause of cancer deaths. Resection of HCC offers the only hope for a cure, yet post-resection recurrence is common. The effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) as a neoadjuvant therapy for resectable HCC has not been conclusively demonstrated. All published meta-analyses have consistently failed to demonstrate its effectiveness. We believe these articles have several limitations and TACE is theoretically helpful in multinodular or infiltrative types of HCC.