[The effect of postoperative transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization on disease-free survival after hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate postoperative transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for improving the disease-free survival of HCC patients after hepatectomy.


METHODS
1 725 HCC patients were followed up after hepatectomy retrospectively. Of 1 457 patients who were followed-up completely, 209 had postoperative TACE. The 1 457 patients were divided into ten groups according to tumor thrombus, small HCC, capsular invasion, vascular invasion and cirrhosis. The disease-free survival was analyzed between subgroups of weather postoperative TACE was performed in every group. Software SAS 6.12 and EGRET package were used. Kaplan-Meier estimation was used to calculate the disease-free survival rates.


RESULTS
There were no difference of the disease-free survival between the subgroups in no capsular invasion and in no hepatic cirrhosis groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Postoperative TACE is helpful in improving the disease-free survival of HCC patients after hepatectomy except those with integrated tumor envelope or no hepatocirrhosis. It is important to prolong the long-term results of operation.
Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200438, China.
Zhijian
Z
Zhang
Mengchao
M
Wu
Han
H
Chen
Jiamei
J
Yang
Guangshun
G
Yang
Feng
F
Shen
Jia
J
He
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D002404:Catheterization; D002648:Child; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006499:Hepatic Artery; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies