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BackgroundHepatic resection (HRx) or radiofrequency ablation may be carried out as the first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, we have used intraoperative microwave ablation, named microwave coagulo-necrotic therapy (MCN) as part of our strategy for the treatment of HCCs for more than 15 years. Here we describe the treatment outcomes achieved at our institution as a high-volume center for microwave ablation.MethodsBetween July 1994 and December 2010, 719 consecutive patients received MCN as their initial therapy for HCC (mean tumor size 26.9 mm, mean number of lesions 2.51) at our institute. The therapeutic survival effect, local tumor progression, and overall recurrence were prospectively evaluated and statistically analyzed.ResultsThe 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year overall survival rates of all 719 patients were 97.7, 79.8, 62.1, 45.3, and 34.1 %, respectively. Thirty percent of the patients had Child–Pugh class B cirrhosis and the 5-year survival rate of these patients was 46.6 %. The 5-year survival of patients with ≥4 lesions (n = 168) was 49.6 % and that of patients meeting the Milan criteria (n = 470) was 70.9 %. The 1-, 3-, 5-, 7-, and 10-year overall survival rates for 390 patients treated with MCN who had ≤3 lesions with diameter ≤3 cm were 97.9, 85.1, 70.0, 57.1, and 43.0 %. No significant differences were found between the overall survival rates after MCN and the overall survival rates in 34 patients treated with HRx during the same period at our institute and under the same (P = 0.3592), nor were there any differences in disease-free survival (P = 0.3496) and local recurrence rates between the MCN and HRx groups (P = 0.5926).ConclusionMCN is effective for the locoregional control of HCC, with results comparable to those of HRx. MCN should be considered as one of the first-choice treatments for HCC, even for patients with poor liver function or multiple lesions.

Objective Sorafenib is a standard therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), whereas radiotherapy is effective for local control of extrahepatic spread (EHS) or macrovascular invasion (MVI). This study investigated the safety and efficacy of this combined therapy to treat advanced HCC. Methods This retrospective study reviewed 62 patients with advanced-stage HCC with EHS or MVI who received sorafenib therapy, excluding the patients with only lung metastases. Results Of the 62 patients, 15 were treated using the combined therapy of sorafenib and radiotherapy (group RS), and 47 were treated with sorafenib monotherapy (group S). In group RS, patients were treated using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with a total irradiation dose of 30-60 Gy (median, 50 Gy). Irradiation was targeted at the bone, lymph nodes, adrenal gland, and MVI in 6, 5, 1, and 4 patients, respectively. The overall incidence of adverse events was 93.3% in group RS and 91.5% in group S (p=N.S.). Incidences of thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, and skin reaction were significantly higher in group RS (73.3%, 40.0%, and 66.7%, respectively) than in group S (36.2%, 10.6%, and 27.7%, respectively, p=0.02, 0.02, and <0.01, respectively). The incidence of severe adverse events, however, was comparable in the 2 groups: 20% in group RS and 19.2% in group S. The median progression-free survival (PFS) of EHS or MVI, PFS of whole lesions, and overall survival were longer in group RS (13.5, 10.6, and 31.2 months, respectively) than in group S (3.3, 3.5, and 12.1 months, respectively) (p<0.01 for all). Conclusion Sorafenib in combination with radiotherapy is a feasible and tolerable treatment option for advanced HCC.

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