title: Efficacy of TACE in TIPS patients: comparison of treatment response to chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with and without a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare treatment response after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with and without a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS).
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective review of patients who underwent conventional TACE for HCC between January 2005 and December 2009 identified 10 patients with patent TIPS. From the same time period, 23 patients without TIPS were selected to control for comparable Model for End-Stage Liver Disease and Child-Pugh-Turcotte scores. The two groups showed similar distribution of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer and United Network of Organ Sharing stages. Target HCC lesions were evaluated according to the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST) guidelines. Transplantation rate, time to tumor progression, and overall survival (OS) were documented.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After TACE, the rate of complete response was significantly greater in non-TIPS patients compared with TIPS patients (74 vs. 30 %, p = 0.03). Objective response rate (complete and partial response) trended greater in the non-TIPS group (83 vs. 50 %, p = 0.09). The liver transplantation rate was 80 and 74 % in the TIPS and non-TIPS groups, respectively (p = 1.0). Time to tumor progression was similar (p = 0.47) between the two groups. OS favored the non-TIPS group (p = 0.01) when censored for liver transplantation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TACE is less effective in achieving complete or partial response using mRECIST criteria in TIPS patients compared with those without a TIPS. Nevertheless, similar clinical outcomes may be achieved, particularly in TIPS patients who are liver-transplantation candidates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Room M-361, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA, yuo-chen.kuo@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Yuo-Chen
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Maureen P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kohi
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Naeger
authors.forename: Ricky T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: K Pallav
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kolli
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Laberge
authors.forename: Robert K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kerlan
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fidelman
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019168:Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome