Hepatectomy with chemoembolization for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Details of patient survival after resection of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma following preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization are unknown.


METHODS
One hundred and forty-eight patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinomas who had undergone curative hepatic resection were divided into transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (+) and (-) groups. We estimated the risk factors of survival and disease-free survival using 148 cases and determined the risk factors that were reduced by preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization.


RESULTS
Indocyanine green retention time, ductal invasion, intrahepatic metastasis, capsule formation, liver cirrhosis, and histologic stage were common significant predictors of survival and disease-free survival after hepatic resection. The 50% overall survival in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (+) and (-) groups was 60 and 47 months, and the 50% disease-free survival for them was 24 and 24 months, respectively (NS). The survival and disease-free survival rates were not related to whether the patients had undergone preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, even if the procedure had rendered the tumor completely necrotic. However, in patients with intrahepatic metastasis and ductal invasion, or at an advanced disease stage, survival in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (+) group was significantly better than that in the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (-) group (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
In the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with poor prognosis, hepatic resection combined with preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization improves the postoperative survival.
Ochiai
Toshiya
T
Department of Surgery, Kohoku General Hospital, 1221 Kuroda, Kinomoto-cho, Ika-gun, Shiga, 529-0493, Japan. tochiai@mxa.nkansai.ne.jp
Sonoyama
Teruhisa
T
Hironaka
Takeshi
T
Yamagishi
Hisakazu
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate