title: Prognostic factors in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated by transcatheter arterial embolization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transcatheter arterial embolization induces marked antitumor response in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, but the survival benefit of transcatheter arterial embolization remains to be determined. This study investigated prognostic factors in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated by transcatheter arterial embolization.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 128 consecutive patients with non-resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, who had undergone transcatheter arterial embolization between May 1990 and August 1998, were analyzed to investigate prognostic factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median survival time and survival proportions at 1, 3 and 5 years were 3.3 years, 92.0, 54.6 and 23.4%, respectively. By multivariate analysis using the accelerated failure time model, age <60 years, hepatitis C virus antibody positivity, serum albumin >3.5 g/dl, absence of portal vein invasion and serum alpha-fetoprotein level <400 ng/ml were significantly associated with favorable survival. For clinical application, we also propose a prognostic equation with combination of specific prognostic factors, by which survival curves of each patient could be predicted directly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the current study may be helpful in predicting the life expectancy of hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated by transcatheter arterial embolization and in designing future clinical trials of transcatheter arterial embolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. sokada@ncc.go.jp
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Seiichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Tosiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Takuji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okusaka
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuriyama
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takayasu
authors.forename: Hiroyoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iwata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006499:Hepatic Artery; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate