| [ Summary ] |
Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a mainstay for treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 30% of initial HCC patients and 53% of recurent patients fall into this category. These patients are indicated as having neither distant metastasis nor main portal vein tumor thrombi, accompanied by relativly better liver function. Superselective embolization with an emulsion of lipiodol and anticancer agents followed by gelatin sponge particles is widely employed. According to a study by the Liver Cancer Study Group of Japan, the median, 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 34 months (2.83 years), 82%, 47%, and 26%, respectively. Analysis of the stratified groups revealed that the milder the liver damage and/or the lower the TNM stage, the better survival rates were in terms of statistical significance. |