Published online Jan 15, 2020. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v12.i1.92
Peer-review started: September 5, 2019
First decision: October 18, 2019
Revised: October 25, 2019
Accepted: December 6, 2019
Article in press: December 6, 2019
Published online: January 15, 2020
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer and a leading cause of tumor-related death. Patients with large HCC (≥ 8 cm) are at an advanced stage and have poor prognosis, and hepatic resection may not be suitable, and the incidence of postoperative recurrence is high.
To evaluate recurrence and mid-term survival of patients with large HCC treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
This was a retrospective study. From 2010 to 2013, 46 consecutive patients with large HCC were treated with simultaneous TACE and RFA. Thirty-five of 46 patients had a single tumor. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed at 2 years and 3 years, respectively.
Forty-six patients treated by simultaneous TACE and RFA had no significant complications and treatment was successful. After 3 years, median PFS and OS were 10.21 ± 1.58 mo and 26.44 ± 2.26 mo, retrospectively. The survival rate was 67.5% after 2 years and 55.67% after 3 years.
These preliminary data show that simultaneous TACE and RFA are safe and effective for large HCC.
Core tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common cancer and a leading cause of tumor-related death. Patients who have large HCC (≥ 8 cm) are at advanced stages and have poor prognosis. Interventional treatment including transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are commonly used for HCC. However, for patients with large HCC, the use of TACE alone and RFA alone can only lead to partial tumor necrosis with poor local control. Our study showed that simultaneous combination of TACE and RFA may improve therapeutic efficacy and survival for patients with large HCC.