Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization therapy for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Propensity score matching study of 325 patients with spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

This study aims to find out the possible optimal therapy and assess the prognosis properly for patient with spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was used to study the data from 325 patients with ruptured HCC (RHCC) and 2,291 patients with non-RHCC.

Results

The incidence and hospital mortality of RHCC were 5.1% and 0.8% respectively, with a median overall survival (OS) time of 17 months. There was no difference between ruptured and non-RHCC patients undergoing conservation treatment in terms of OS. Trans-arterial embolization (TAE) was carried out in 69 (21.2%) cases with RHCC, with a median OS of 7 months, which was no difference from that of non-RHCC (pre- and post-PSM). One hundred and sixty-nine (52.0%) RHCC cases underwent one-stage hepatectomy, with a median OS and disease-free survival (DFS) of 30 and 6 months respectively, which were shorter than that of non-RHCC (post-PSM). TAE plus two-stage hepatectomy was performed in 30 RHCC cases, with a median OS and DFS of 28 and 10 months respectively; these outcomes were better than that from RHCC patients undergoing TAE alone or one-stage hepatectomy (post-PSM), which were no difference from that of non-RHCC patients undergoing hepatectomy. The risk of death for RHCC patient undergoing one-stage hepatectomy is 1.545 times higher than that of one undergoing TAE + two-stage hepatectomy.

Conclusions

TAE plus two-stage hepatectomy might be the optimal treatment for RHCC patient. Under the premise of the same pathological properties, there is no difference in prognosis between ruptured and non-RHCC patients if the therapy is appropriate.

Efficacy and safety of drug-eluting beads for transarterial chemoembolization in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has more recently become a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide. Particularly at an advanced stage, the prognosis is generally poor due to lack of effective treatments. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is now a recognized therapy for advanced HCC, serving to deprive tumors of feeder arteries through induced ischemic necrosis. However, there is also a potential for undesired circulatory toxicity owing to drug reflux from tumor artery to surrounding healthy tissues. Although effective chemotherapeutic drug concentrations are thus lowered, the side effects of systemic chemotherapy are aggravated. The mid-2000 emergence of drug-eluting beads (DEB) loaded with anti-neoplastic drugs has proven particularly advantageous, enabling localized treatment and directed delivery of chemotherapeutics. DEB-TACE (dTACE) augments local infusion of anti-neoplastic agents to prolong agent/tumor contact, expanding upon conventional TACE. At present, data on DEB use in China are limited, particularly in terms of proprietary microspheres (CalliSpheres; Hengrui Medicine Co.). To explore the efficacy and safety of CalliSpheres, A total of 90 patients receiving this means of dTACE for advanced HCC were assessed in the present study. Clinical efficacy was evaluated based on tumor response and overall survival rates using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events to assess tolerability. The satisfactory tumor response and acceptable tolerability demonstrated in the follow-up confirm the promising utility of CalliSpheres in treating patients with advanced HCC.

Systemic Management for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Review of the Molecular Pathways of Carcinogenesis, Current and Emerging Therapies, and Novel Treatment Strategies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arises from a number of cirrhosis-related and non-cirrhosis-related exposures and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Achieving a durable cure currently relies on either resection or transplantation, but since most patients will be diagnosed with inoperable disease, there is great interest in achieving more effective systemic therapies. At a molecular level, HCC is heterogeneous, but initial treatment strategies, including the use of multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors and checkpoint inhibitors, have been fairly homogenous, depending on general host factors and overall tumor burden rather than specific molecular signatures. Over the past 2 decades, however, there has been significant success in identifying key molecular targets, including driver mutations involving the telomerase reverse transcriptase, p53, and beta-catenin genes, and significant work is now being devoted to translating these discoveries into the development of robust and well-tolerated targeted therapies. Furthermore, multi-modal therapies have also begun to emerge, harnessing possible synergism amongst a variety of different treatment classes. As the findings of these landmark trials become available over the next several years, the landscape of the systemic management of advanced HCC will change significantly.

Transarterial chemoembolization extends long-term survival in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

The long-term survival benefit of treating unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) rather than conservative treatment remains controversial. This retrospective case-control study evaluated the survival of patients with unresectable HCC treated with TACE, relative to that of patients who received best supportive care.From January 2002 to December 2010, 522 of 2386 consecutive patients with unresectable HCC were enrolled. Patients were treated with TACE (n = 347) or best supportive care (non-TACE; n = 175). A survival analysis compared the survival of the 2 groups, as well as only those at Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Classification (BCLC)-C and Child-Pugh-B (39 TACE, 61 non-TACE).The median follow-up was 5 months (0.15-106 months).The overall median survival of the TACE group (8.0 months) was significantly longer than that of the non-TACE (2.0 months; P ≤ .01). Of the patients at BCLC-C and Child-Pugh-B, the overall median survivals of the TACE and non-TACE patients were 6.0 and 2.0 months, respectively (P ≤ .01); and the 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8-year overall survival rates were significantly superior in the TACE group (P ≤ .01). For all the patients, the independent predictors of survival were treatment modalities, portal vein tumor thrombosis, alpha-fetoprotein, and BCLC stage. Regarding the TACE patients, contributors to prognosis were portal vein tumor thrombosis, alpha-fetoprotein level, and the number of TACE procedures.TACE for unresectable HCC was associated with longer survival compared with best supportive care, especially for patients at BCLC-C and Child-Pugh-B.

Efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization followed by sorafenib for intermediate/advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in patients in Japan: a retrospective analysis

Background

Sorafenib might prevent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence caused by the promotion of neoangiogenesis after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).

Objectives

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE followed by sorafenib for treating advanced HCC.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 95 advanced HCC patients treated with TACE between July 2008 and December 2012 at our institution. Twenty-four patients received TACE followed by sorafenib within 14 days (S-TACE) and 71 received TACE alone. Progression-free survival (PFS) and cumulative survival from the time of non-responsiveness to TACE were compared between groups and predictive factors for PFS were analyzed.

Results

The median patient age was 72.2 years and 74 patients were male (77.9 %). Although median tumor size was similar between groups, the mean tumor number was significantly higher in the S-TACE versus TACE-alone group (16 vs. 8, P = 0.04). The number of prior treatments was significantly higher in the S-TACE group. Other baseline variables were similar. There were two severe adverse events in the S-TACE group and none in the TACE-alone group. Median PFS (189 vs. 106 days, P = 0.02) and median overall survival time (861 vs. 467 days, P = 0.01) from the time of non-responsiveness to TACE were significantly longer with S-TACE than TACE alone. Adjusting for significant factors in univariate analysis, multivariate analysis indicated that sorafenib administration, tumor size, and alanine transaminase were independent predictors of PFS.

Conclusion

TACE followed by sorafenib significantly improved PFS and survival in patients with advanced HCC unresponsive to TACE.