title: [Does interventional radiological treatment (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization/transarterial infusion) improve the prognosis of patients with unresectable and recurrent hepatocellular carcinomas?].
abstract: We report herein the usefulness of interventional radiological treatment( IVR) for hepatocellular carcinomas( HCCs), based on the results of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization( TACE) and transarterial infusion( TAI).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 256 cases of HCC. TACE and TAI were performed for durations permitted by the degree of liver damage. Results(: 1) TACE was performed in 224 cases( average: 4.5 times, range: 1-14 times), and TAI was performed in 32 cases( average: 2.3 times, range: 1-8 times).( 2) The 3- and 5-year survival rates for all cases were 45.5% and 31.6%, respectively.( 3) We classified all cases according to the number of HCCs, solitary, 2-4, and multiple HCCs, and found no significant differences in the survival rate between the 3 groups( p=0.207),( 4) TAI was followed by TACE in non-responsive cases, and the median survival time of the TAI group was 8.5 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We can expect benefits from repeated TACE treatment in the multiple HCCs group, compared to the solitary HCC group. TAI followed by TACE might improve the prognosis of unresectable and recurrent HCCs. Therefore, we conclude that IVR has clinical benefit as local treatment for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Surgery, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Medical Center East.
authors.forename: Shunichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shiozawa
authors.forename: Takebumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuhara
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.forename: Tatsuomi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokomizo
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimakawa
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshimatsu
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsube
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naritaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial / Q000009:adverse effects; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence