Transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma: An old method, now flavor of the day

Abstract

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the recommended treatment for patients suffering from intermediate, B stage, hepatocellular carcinoma. Despite an undisputed pharmacokinetic advantage, TACE with microspheres has not been shown to be superior in terms of survival compared to conventional TACE using Lipiodol(®). The best guarantee to reduce toxicity and maximize the efficacy of TACE is to strictly observe the contraindications for the procedure (Child-Pugh>B8, reduced portal flow, very large tumor, any technical contraindication and renal impairment), and rigorous application of the administration requirements for the Lipiodol(®) emulsion or loaded microspheres (assessment of hepatic vascularization investigating for accessory vascularization, injection methods). Tumor response should be assessed after four weeks by CT or MRI using the modified RECIST criteria.

Optimization of the spherical integrity for sustained-release alginate microcarriers-encapsulated doxorubicin by the Taguchi method

“…Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in the world, which is usually diagnosed at its advanced stages. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a commonly used, minimally invasive treatment for HCC patients 1 . TACE can deliver microcarriers loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs including doxorubicin (Dox), cisplatin or mitomycin into the hepatic artery to form an embolism and induce hypoxia, blocking off the blood and nutrient supplies to the tumor 2 .…”

Clinical effects and prognosis of stereotactic body radiotherapy combined with transarterial chemoembolization for massive hepatocellular carcinoma

“…With the recent progress in interventional technology, TACE‐based comprehensive treatment is the main treatment for middle‐ and late‐stage inoperable PLC 6–8 . However, TACE treatment also has many shortcomings.…”

<p>Preoperative Combined Prediction Models Have Superior Capability in Predicting Survival as the Child-Pugh Grade in Patients with HCC after Interventional Embolotherapy</p>

“…16 Therefore, it is particularly important to study the prognosis of patients with HCC. 12 Patients with early HCC often undergo hepatectomy, while patients with advanced HCC often receive only local interventional embolotherapy, with a short postoperative survival time and worse prognosis, 6 and there are fewer relevant studies. Most patients with HCC in our country are accompanied by diagnoses of hepatitis or cirrhosis, and evaluation of liver reserve function is particularly important.…”

“…3 Cancer invasion and metastasis are the major causes of death in patients with HCC, 4,5 and interventional embolotherapy for metastatic tumors is routine management. 6 Therefore, it is undoubtedly of great significance for these patients to carry out research on the factors affecting the prognosis of HCC after interventional embolotherapy, and to construct a predictive model for the prognosis of HCC.…”