Polyvinyl alcohol embolization adjuvant to oily chemoembolization in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with arterioportal shunts

Combination therapy of sorafenib and drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with and without hepatic arteriovenous shunt

BACKGROUND

To compare the efficacy and safety of combination therapy with sorafenib and drug-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE) in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with or without hepatic arteriovenous shunt (HAVS).

METHODS

This retrospective, single-center study enrolled 59 advanced HCC patients treated with combination therapy, of whom 33 (55.9%) patients had HAVS. Tumor response according to the mRECIST criteria was evaluated based on the CT images 1 month after TACE, and changes in the arterial enhancement ratio (AER) of tumors and portal vein tumor thrombosis were also documented. Time-to-progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors were analyzed. Safety was evaluated with the incidence of TACE-related complications within 6 weeks after TACE.

RESULTS

The tumor response between the two groups showed no significant difference in the objective response rate (69.2% in the group without HAVS vs 60.6% in the group with HAVS, p = 0.492) or disease control rate (92.3% vs 87.9%, p = 0.685). The two groups showed comparable TTP (4.23 vs 2.33 months, p = 0.235) and OS (12.77 vs 12.97 months, p = 0.910). A drop in the AER of tumors of more than 20% on post-TACE CT independently predicted better OS. With regard to safety, there was no significant difference between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

For advanced HCC, combination therapy had equal efficacy and safety in patients with HAVS compared to those without HAVS, indicating that DEB-TACE is an optional and effective treatment in these patients.

Superior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula presenting as diarrhea: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Superior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula (SMAVF) is a very rare disease and mainly manifests as abdominal pain, diarrhea, anorexia, and other portal hypertension symptoms. The diagnosis of the disease mainly relies on abdominal enhanced CT+3D reconstruction or digital subtraction angiography, and the treatment is mainly vascular interventional fistula occlusion.

CASE SUMMARY

a 17-year-old female with a history of abdominal trauma and surgery was admitted to our hospital for diarrhea and abdominal distension. The patient was diagnosed with a superior mesenteric arteriovenous fistula after abdominal enhanced CT + 3D reconstruction. The patient was satisfied with the results after the superior mesenteric artery angiography + covered stent implantation. No discomfort symptoms occurred during the two-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

A history of abdominal trauma or surgery and clinical manifestations in combination with a radiological analysis are important indicators in the diagnosis of SMAVF. Interventional therapy is the preferred treatment.

Multidisciplinary treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with severe arterioportal shunt: a case report

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality globally. In addition, most patients present in advanced stages with limited curative treatment options. Therefore, multidisciplinary treatment is often warranted. Here, we report a patient with HCC and severe arterioportal shunt (APS) who was treated with a multidisciplinary approach comprising interventional radiology procedures, apatinib and camrelizumab. After treatment, the intrahepatic mass was stable, and a notable decrease in the number and size of lung lesions was observed. The patient achieved a long-term survival of more than 2 years. These data suggest that multidisciplinary treatments may be effective in the treatment of advanced HCC with severe APS.

Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Hepatic Arterioportal Shunts: Combination Treatment of Transarterial Chemoembolization With Apatinib

Object: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combining with apatinib (TACE-apatinib) and TACE-alone for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with hepatic arterioportal shunts (APS).

Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the medical records of patients with advanced HCC with APS who underwent TACE-apatinib or TACE-alone from June 2015 to January 2019. The occlusion of the shunt was performed during the TACE procedure. The time to tumor progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) of study patients were evaluated. The modified Response Evaluation Criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST) was used to evaluate the treatment response. The apatinib-related adverse events were recorded.

Results: Fifty-eight patients were included in this study. Twenty-seven patients underwent the treatment of TACE-apatinib, and 31 received TACE-alone treatment. The median overall survival (OS) and median time of tumor progression (TTP) in the TACE-apatinib group were significantly longer than those of the TACE-alone group (OS: 12.0 vs. 9.0 months, P = 0.000; TTP: 9.0 vs. 5.0 months, P = 0.041). Multivariate analysis revealed that TACE-apatinib was a protective factor for OS, and there was no independent risk factor for TTP. In the TACE-apatinib group, the grade 3 apatinib-related adverse events occurred in four patients.

Conclusion: TACE-apatinib was an efficacious and safe treatment for patients with advanced HCC with APS, and apatinib improved the efficacy of TACE in the treatment of these patients.

Safety and efficacy assessment of transarterial chemoembolization using drug-eluting beads in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and arterioportal shunt: a single-center experience

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility and safety of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and arterioportal shunts (APSs).

Materials and methods

Fifty-eight patients with unresectable HCC and APSs who were treated with DEB-TACE (n=26) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) plus TACE (PVA-TACE, n=32) were included in this retrospective study. The tumor response was evaluated by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. Toxicity was graded by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 (CTCAE v5.0) and compared between the two groups. Survival curves were calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test between the two groups. The influence of potential prognostic factors on survival in the DEB-TACE group was analyzed via a multivariate Cox regression model.

Results

The disease control rate was better in the DEB-TACE group than in the PVA-TACE group. The median survival times were 346 and 274 days in the DEB-TACE group and PVA-TACE group, respectively. There was no significant difference in survival rates between the two groups (P=0.081). Patients treated with DEB-TACE were significantly less likely to have fever (P=0.048) or a low-grade (grade 1-2) increase in transaminases (P=0.046) than the patients treated with PVA-TACE. The potential predictive prognostic factors in the DEB-TACE group were tumor response, APS grading, and serum bilirubin.

Conclusion

DEB-TACE may be feasible and safe in HCC patients with APS. Survival in the DEB-TACE group was associated with tumor response, APS grading, and serum bilirubin levels.

Chemoembolisation with polyvinyl alcohol for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumour thrombosis and arterioportal shunts: efficacy and prognostic factors

AIM

To evaluate the efficacy and to identify prognostic factors of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) chemoembolisation for treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein (PV) tumour thrombosis (PVTT) and arterioportal shunts.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The clinical data of 145 advanced HCC patients with PVTT and arterioportal shunts were collected. The patients were divided into two groups: group A, with main PV invasion, (n=56) and group B, with PV branch invasion, (n=89). Based on arterioportal shunt types, different particle sizes of PVA were used for chemoembolisation. The overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), and postoperative complications were analysed retrospectively.

RESULTS

The median OS of all patients was 10.1 months. The median OS of group A and group B was 8.2 and 12.5 months, respectively (χ²=6.03, p=0.01). The overall 6-, 12-, and 18-month survival rates of groups A and B were 63.8%, 24.9%, and 6.3%, and 78.1%, 55.2%, and 23.7%, respectively. After embolisation, there were two cases of acute liver failure and three cases of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Cox multivariate survival analysis revealed that main PVTT (HR [hazard ratio]=1.75, p=0.01), Child-Pugh B class (HR=1.99, p=0.003) and tumour burden ≥50% (HR=3.25, p<0.001) were independent risk factors. A dose of oxaliplatin >100 mg (HR=0.48, p<0.001) was an independent protection factor.

CONCLUSION

Treatment of advanced HCC with PVTT and arterioportal shunts by PVA chemoembolisation is safe and effective. The patients achieved a better prognosis with the dose of oxaliplatin >100 mg, while main PVTT, Child-Pugh B class, and tumour burden ≥50% were poor prognostic indicators.

Polyvinyl alcohol terminal chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatic arteriovenous shunts: Safety, efficacy, and prognostic factors

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) terminal chemoembolization and to identify the prognostic factors associated with survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with hepatic arteriovenous shunts (HAVS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Of 133 patients' managements were retrospectively analyzed. HAVS was classified into three types: slow-flow, intermediate-flow and high-flow. The size of the PVA used was determined following the scheme: slow-flow HAVS: 300-500μm PVA; intermediate-flow HAVS: 500-710μm PVA; high-flow HAVS: 710-1000μm PVA. The HCCs with slow-flow and intermediate-flow HAVS were embolized by PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents lipiodol emulsion, while the high-flow HAVS were treated by PVA with chemotherapeutic agents. Survival curves were calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and compared by log-rank test. The influence of possible prognostic factors on survival were analyzed by multivariate Cox proportional-hazards method.

RESULTS

The median overall survival (OS) of 133 patients was 9.1 months. The median OS of the slow-flow type, intermediate-flow type and high-flow type patients were 10.8, 9.1 and 7.3 months, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among different HAVS types (P=0.239). The 30-day mortality was 3.8%. Cox multivariate survival analysis revealed that initial preoperative AFP value≥400ng/ml (HR=2.105, P=0.006) was an independent risk factor. While multiple embolization (HR=0.482, P=0.011), tumor remission (HR=0.431, P=0.041) and multimodality therapy (HR=0.416, P=0.004) were independent protection factors.

CONCLUSION

It is safe and effective for HCCs with HAVS treated by terminal chemoembolization therapy with PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents lipiodol emulsion (or PVA plus chemotherapeutic agents). The HCCs with HAVS achieves good prognosis with multiple embolization, tumor remission and multimodality therapy, while achieves poor prognosis with inital preoperative high AFP value (≥400ng/ml).

Gelatin sponge microparticles for the treatment of the spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage

Spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage is life-threatening. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyze the effect of gelatin sponge microparticles (GSMs) of various diameters on the treatment of spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage. GSMs serve as embolization agents by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), and the current study analyzed their safety and efficacy. Data from a total of 13 cases of spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage, who were treated with GSM-TACE at the Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University (Dalian, China) between August 2010 and June 2014, were collected. Post-operative complications were classified according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria. Review computed tomography was conducted 1, 3 and 6 months after GSM-TACE treatment in order to determine the occurrence of re-bleeding; the tumor response was evaluated based on the Modified Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors and the expression levels of α-feroprotein. The patients were followed-up for 1-6 months (average, 5.15±1.67 months). Following GSM-TACE treatment, 13 cases reached successful hemostasis without technical complications. The survival rates 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment were 76.9 (10/13), 61.5 (8/13) and 53.8% (7/13), respectively; the objective response rates were 61.6, 53.9 and 38.5%, respectively. The primary post-operative complications were pain (100%), nausea and vomiting (69.2%), and fever (53.8%). Among the 13 patients, 2 cases underwent surgical excision 10 and 30 days after GSM-TACE, and 1 case experienced re-bleeding 3 months after treatment, after which the patient received a second treatment with TACE and successful achieved hemostasis. In conclusion, GSM-TACE of various diameters is a safe and effective method in the treatment of spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma hemorrhage. GSM-TACE is able to achieve immediate hemostasis and improves the survival rate of patients, thus creating favorable conditions for follow-up treatment.

Chemoembolization of recurrent hepatoma after curative resection: prognostic factors

OBJECTIVE

The long-term prognosis after hepatic resection for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been disappointing because of the high recurrence rates in the remnant liver, which constitutes the major cause of death. The purpose of this study was to identify the prognostic factors for overall survival after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in recurrent HCC after the initial curative surgical resection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From January 2003 through October 2012, 362 patients who developed recurrent HCC after initial surgical resection and underwent TACE as the first-line therapy were retrospectively studied at a single institution in our hospital. Patients who met our inclusion criteria were followed until December 2012. Prognostic factors for overall survival were analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 287 patients were enrolled. The median overall survival period was 747 days. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates after TACE were 72.9%, 51.8%, and 31.8%, respectively. Multivariate analysis indicated that the number of resected HCCs (≥ 2, p < 0.001), the number (≥ 2, p < 0.001) and size (> 5 cm, p = 0.022) of the recurrent HCCs, and the number of TACE sessions (≤ 3, p < 0.001) are independent risk factors for poor survival after TACE for recurrent HCC after HCC resection.

CONCLUSION

TACE appears to be an effective treatment of patients who experienced a recurrence after curative HCC resection. An initial solitary HCC, a solitary recurrence, and recurrent tumor mass 5 cm or smaller are statistically significant independent prognostic factors for survival.

Combination of intra-arterial therapies and sorafenib: is there a clinical benefit?

Intra-arterial therapies (IATs) play a major role in the treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Over the last three decades, multiple loco-regional approaches such as transarterial chemoembolization or radioembolization were shown to effectively achieve local tumor control, offering significant survival benefits for selected patients with intermediate to advanced-stage disease (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage B and C). These therapies provide a dual benefit of safely delivering a highly cytotoxic payload directly to the tumor while reducing systemic toxicity. This capability maintained the advantage of IATs over conventional systemic chemotherapy. The introduction of sorafenib as a systemically applicable drug, the first of its kind to provide survival benefits by means of oral monotherapy, contributed to a paradigm change. The idea of combining this novel agent with IATs seemed intriguing, and a variety of national and international clinical trials were initiated to explore the potential benefits of this exciting new option. A plethora of preliminary data has been made available throughout the last 5 years, and the interpretation of the inhomogeneously designed protocols proved difficult. In this review, we will provide a brief state-of-the-art update on the most frequently used intra-arterial modalities and discuss the molecular mechanism, potential biomarkers as well as the safety profile of sorafenib. Furthermore, we will discuss the role of the sequence of administration in combined therapies. Finally, this review will examine the evidence for clinical outcomes for the combination of different IATs with sorafenib.