title: Prognostic factors for survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing chemoembolization with doxorubicin drug-eluting beads: a preliminary study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB) is a new treatment modality. Little is known about prognostic factors affecting survival after DEB TACE for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who underwent TACE with doxorubicin DEB for unresectable HCC during 2006-2008 were studied. Survival was calculated from the day of first transcatheter therapy. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier estimations. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty patients underwent chemoembolization with doxorubicin DEB. They included 39 women and 11 men, with a median age of 57.5 years (range 28-91 years). Eighteen patients died during the study period and 32 remained alive. Overall survival rates at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years from the first administration of doxorubicin DEB TACE were 71%, 65% and 51%, respectively. Prognostic factors found to be significant on univariate analysis were Child-Pugh class, Okuda staging, bilirubin > 2 mg/dl, albumin < 3.0 g/dl, Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, serum alphafetoprotein (AFP), Cancer of the Liver Italian Programme (CLIP) score, tumour satisfying Milan criteria, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Child-Pugh class, Okuda staging, bilirubin > 2 mg/dl, albumin < 3 g/dl, MELD score, serum AFP, CLIP score, Milan criteria, ECOG PS and BCLC staging were found to be prognostic markers of survival after treatment with doxorubicin DEB TACE in patients with unresectable HCC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Interventional Radiology and Image-Guided Medicine, Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Renumathy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dhanasekaran
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Kooby
authors.forename: Charles A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Staley
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kauh
authors.forename: Vinit
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Khanna
authors.forename: Hyun S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D004317:Doxorubicin