Long-term outcome of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization after radiofrequency ablation as a combined therapy for Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Indian College of Radiology and Imaging Guidelines on Interventions in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and a significant cause of cancer-related death. Treatment of HCC depends on the stage of the tumor. As many patients with HCC are not deemed fit for surgical resection or liver transplantation, locoregional therapies play an essential role in the management. Image-guided locoregional treatments include percutaneous ablative therapies and endovascular therapies. The choice of an individual or a combination of therapies is guided by the tumor and patient characteristics. As the outcomes of image-guided locoregional treatments depend on the ability to achieve necrosis of the entire tumor along with a safety margin around it, it is mandatory to follow standard guidelines. In this manuscript, we discuss in detail the various aspects of image-guided locoregional therapies to guide interventional radiologists involved in the care of patients with HCC.

SN, Kulkarni SS, Shetty NS, Gupta A, Gupta S. Indian Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology Expert Consensus Statements for Ablation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Part II

Locoregional therapies play an important role in the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Percutaneous ablation is one of the most commonly employed nonsurgical methods for treating very early and early HCC. For small HCC, ablation is potentially curative and competes with surgical resection. The widespread availability and the spectrum of ablative techniques mandate uniform approach among interventional radiologists. Thus, it is desirable to have a consensus regarding various aspects of the liver ablation. This article represents a consensus document of the experts from the Indian Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology involved in the care of patients with HCC. The statements are presented in two parts.

Ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: beyond the standard indications

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common primary liver neoplasia, represents the fifth most common malignant disease in men. Percutaneous ablation treatment is recommended among the treatments suggested for HCC patients in the very early/early stage. In the last decade, very important results in terms of survival benefits have been obtained with local ablative therapies, also outside the standard indications, thanks to many technical innovations. In particular, important results of ablation as a safe and effective technique have been obtained in the treatment of intermediate- or advanced-stage patients with HCC, and in the treatment of unfavourable tumour locations. Moreover, awareness is growing regarding the necessity of overcoming the rigidity of traditional guidelines in the treatment of HCC due to the complexity of patients with HCC, focusing on Precision Medicine. In this context, it is important to know the standard and non-standard indications of ablation in the treatment of HCC in order to offer the best therapeutic option tailored for each patient. The aim of this study was to analyse the possible clinical applications of ablative therapies for HCC patients, beyond the traditional indications recommended in the most widespread clinical practice guidelines for the management of HCC.

Microwave Ablation in Intermediate Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Cirrhosis: An Italian Multicenter Prospective Study

Background and Aims: To report long-term results in treatment of intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in cirrhotics using new high-powered microwaves (MWS) ablation alone. Methods: This multicenter study included 215 cirrhotics (age range: 67-84 years; 137 males; 149 Child A, 66 Child B) who underwent percutaneous ultrasound-guided high-powered MWS ablation instead of transarterial chemoembolization. Among the patient population, 109 had a single nodule (Ø 5.3-8 cm) [group A], 70 had 2 nodules (Ø 3-6 cm) [group B] and 36 had 3-5 nodules (Ø 1.5-6.8 cm) [group C]. MWS ablation efficacy was evaluated using enhanced-computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Primary end-point was 5-year cumulative overall survival (OS). Results: On enhanced-computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging, complete ablation rates were 100% for 1.5-3.5 cm nodules. In nodules >3.5-5 cm, it was 89% for the first ablation and 100% for the second. For lesions >5-8 cm, ablation was up to 92%. Overall, 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 89, 60, and 21%, respectively. The cumulative OS rate of group A was 89%, 66% and 34% at 1, 3 and 5 years. The cumulative OS rate of group B was 88%, 60% and 11% at 1, 3 and 5 years. The cumulative OS rate of group C was 86%, 55% and 0%. The 5-year survival rate was significantly different among the groups (p <0.001). One patient died from rupture of HCC. Upon multivariate analysis, preablation total bilirubin >1.5 mg/dL was an independent factor for predicting lower survival. Conclusions: Percutaneous MWS ablation of intermediate HCC is safe and effective in inducing large volume of necrosis in intermediate HCC nodules, providing long-term survival rates similar to transarterial chemoembolization. Preablation total bilirubin >1.5 mg/dL as expression of liver function reserve is the main factor predicting a worse outcome.

Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Combined with Simultaneous Computed Tomography-guided Radiofrequency Ablation for Large Hepatocellular Carcinomas

BACKGROUND

Currently, the treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still a challenging problem. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the main treatment for intermediate end-stage HCC, while it is only a palliative and not a curative treatment due to the existence of residual tumors, and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has limitations in complete ablation of large HCC. We hypothesized that TACE combined with simultaneous RFA (herein referred to as TACE + RFA) could improve the efficacy and survival of large HCC. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of TACE + RFA on single large HCC.

METHODS

A total of 66 patients with single large HCC (≥5 cm in diameter) were recruited between February 2010 and June 2016. TACE was first performed and computed tomography was performed immediately after TACE, and the lesions with poor lipiodol deposition were subjected to simultaneous RFA. The success rate, technique-related complications, liver and kidney functions, serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, progression-free survival (PFS), median survival time (MST), focal control rate, and long-term survival rate were evaluated.

RESULTS

TACE + RFA were performed smoothly in all the patients with the success rate of 100%. Intra- and post-operative severe complications were not observed. There were no marked differences in mean alanine transaminase or aspartate transaminase before TACE + RFA compared with 7 days after TACE + RFA (all P > 0.05). In 57 AFP-positive patients, the levels of serum AFP were reduced by 100.0%, 100.0%, and 94.7% at 1, 3, and 6 months after TACE + RFA, respectively; the tumor control rates (complete remission + partial remission) were 100.0% (66/66), 92.4% (61/66), 87.9% (58/66), and 70.1% (39/55) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after TACE + RFA, respectively. Patients were followed up for 7-82 months after TACE + RFA. The MST was 18.3 months, PFS was 14.2 ± 6.2 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 93.2% (55/59), 42.5% (17/40), and 27.2% (9/33), respectively.

CONCLUSION

TACE + RFA is safe, feasible, and effective in enhancing the focal control rate and survival rate of patients with large HCC.

The treatment of intermediate stage tumours beyond TACE: From surgery to systemic therapy

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is dependent on the stage of the disease. Intermediate stage HCC encompasses the largest subgroup of patients with the disease, and is characterized by substantial heterogeneity. The standard therapeutic approach, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), is probably over-used and may not be appropriate for all patients with intermediate stage HCC. In patients with extensive tumour bulk, multi-nodular spread or impaired liver function, TACE may not be optimal and other treatments can be considered as a first-line treatment. These include surgery, percutaneous ablation, radioembolization or systemic treatment. In addition, patients who do not achieve complete or partial necrosis (TACE failure) and patients with early recurrence after TACE, should be managed individually, considering systemic treatments usually reserved for advanced disease. In selected cases and in patients who achieve downstaging, radical approaches such as hepatic resection or even liver transplantation can be considered. In this review, we evaluate the current literature for the treatment strategies for patients with intermediate Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) B stage HCC.