Supplementation with BCAA-enriched nutrients for one year in cirrhotic patients with HCC after RFA therapy can perform safety and improve both nutritional state and quality of life.

The combination therapy of PEG-IFNα-2b and 5-FU for advanced ICC seems not to be worse than the results of the previous studies. Furthermore, most adverse effects are transient and well tolerated. Based on the present findings, this combination therapy may be useful for patients with advanced ICC as one of the therapeutic option.

Liver function parameters, particularly serum albumin level, gradually and dominantly decreased in HCC patients with grade B and C according to the CPs classification over the course of 1 year after RFA therapy. A CPs of 9 or more represents a major risk factor for the aggravation of liver function after RFA therapy.

Combination therapy with intra-arterial 5-FU and systemic PEG-IFNalpha-2b may be useful as a palliative treatment for patients with advanced HCC. A prospective controlled trial using a larger population of patients with advanced HCC is needed to evaluate this new combination therapy.

BACKGROUND:The prognosis of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poor, particularly among patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT). This study evaluated the efficacy of combined 5-fluorouracil and pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) a-2b in patients with advanced HCC. METHODS: Subjects comprised 59 HCC patients with PVTT treated using subcutaneous administration of PEG-IFNa-2b (50-100 lg on day 1 of each week for 4 weeks) and intra-arterial infusion of 5-fluorouracil (250 mg/d for 5 hours on days 1-5 of each week for 4 weeks). One treatment cycle lasted 4 weeks. The current therapy was discontinued in patients with progressive disease (PD). For responses other than PD, treatment was repeated for !1 cycle. The primary efficacy endpoint was the objective early response rate. Secondary efficacy endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival. RESULTS: Objective early response rate was 73.0%. Cumulative PFS rates were 67.4% at 6 months, 30.2% at 12 months, 25.9% at 18 months, and 20.7% at 24 months. Median PFS was 9.7 months. Cumulative survival rates were 82.4% at 6 months, 73.6% at 12 months, 52.8% at 24 months, and 44.0% at 36 months. Median survival time was 29.9 months. All adverse reactions were controllable by temporary suspension of treatment. Serious complications and treatmentrelated deaths were not observed. CONCLUSIONS: Although a prospective randomized controlled trial using a larger population of patients with advanced HCC is needed to evaluate combination therapy with 5-fluorouracil and PEGIFNa-2b, this new combination therapy may be useful for patients with advanced HCC. Cancer 2012;118:3302-10.

We conclude that TACE using a suspension of DDPH in LPD could be a useful treatment for HCC.

Thermoplastic elastomers composed of soft and hard segments are important elastic and processable synthetic polymers. The microphase-separated soft domains show low glass transition temperature and possess sufficient chain mobility at room temperature. In this study, we report the synthesis and healing properties of multiblock copolymers containing disulfide bonds as dynamic covalent bonds. The multiblock copolymers composed of poly(arylether sulfone) and poly(alkylthioether) segments were synthesized by oxidative coupling polymerization of the corresponding thiol-terminated oligomers. Atomic force microscopy phase images, differential scanning calorimetry, and dynamic mechanical analysis curves indicated the microphaseseparated morphology of the multiblock copolymer. Self-healing properties of the polymer were evaluated by changes in the elongation at break of the cut/adhered samples. The elongation recovery increased with UV irradiation time, and the multiblock copolymer showed a 93% recovery after UV irradiation for 5 h. The healing efficiency induced by UV irradiation, determined by subtracting the recovery without UV irradiation, was calculated to be 51%. According to the UV spectra and solubility changes after UV irradiation, the main healing factor in this study was the crosslinking reactions caused by thiyl radicals generated from UV irradiation instead of disulfide exchange reactions.

TACE using a suspension of DDPH in LPD may be a useful treatment for HCC.