The Effect of Preoperative Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (prospective study)

Joo, Yoon Sung; Kim, Yang Il; Hwang, Yoon Jin; Kee, Se Kook

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The effect of preoperative Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization (TACE) in the management of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has remained controversial and lack of prospective study. To investigate the impact of preoperative TACE, we have performed a prospective study in HCC patients with tumor size below 5 cm.
METHODS
From November 1998 through March 2002, 126 patients with HCC who had been referred for surgical resection were prospectively allocated to Group I (preoperative TACE, n=42) and Group II (simple hepatic angiography only, n=38). Patients who were underwent noncurative hepatic resection (n=4) were excluded and the groups with large tumor mass (above 5 cm) with or without TACE (n=64) were excluded from this analysis due to insufficient number. The impact of preoperative TACE on incidence of complication as well as long term overall and disease free survival rate were analyzed.
RESULTS
Preoperative demographics and intraoperative data were compatible between two groups. There were no difference in complication rates between two groups. The 3 year survival rate of Group I and Group II were 88.10% and 58.32% respectively. The 3 year disease-free survival rate of Group I and Group II were 40.14% and 34.89% respectively. The 3 year overall rate was significantly high in Group I (p=0.0348), disease-free survival rate did not show difference between two groups (p=0.6132).
CONCLUSION
Preoperative TACE can be done safely and showed improved overall survival rate in this prospective study, however fruther prospective study with longer period of follow up will be necessary to prove the effect of preoperative TACE.