Bland Embolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Superabsorbent Polymer Microspheres

Switching the Loaded Agent from Epirubicin to Cisplatin: Salvage Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization with Drug-eluting Microspheres for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…HepaSphere is a nonbiodegradable, spherical, dry particle made of a sodium acrylate and vinyl alcohol copolymer with a particle size that can be calibrated in increments of approximately 50 lm between 50 and 200 lm [15,19]. HepaSphere swells within several minutes after absorbing fluid, and the swollen particles are elastic and compressible but hold their spherical shape.…”

“…If there were multifocal tumors or a large tumor occupying several segments, the anticancer drugs and HepaSphere were injected into the right or left hepatic artery, or both for bilobar tumors. Local pooling of the contrast material within the target tumor, resembling extravasation or blood sinus, is often observed during TACE with microspheres [17,19]. Because this phenomenon occurs frequently with unknown causes and is therefore unavoidable, the appearance of pooling was not allowed to affect the end point by separating it from the tumor staining.…”

Hepatic Arterial Embolization with Doxorubicin-Loaded Superabsorbent Polymer Microspheres in a Rabbit Liver Tumor Model

“…Hori and his colleagues first reported the successful utilization of these microspheres (23). Superabsorbent polymer microspheres have been used clinically in humans to embolize large hepatocellular carcinomas (24); in addition, in vitro studies have suggested that these microspheres can absorb several chemotherapeutic drugs that can be released from the microspheres at variable rates(25, 26). A recently published study showed that after intra-arterial administration of doxorubicin-loaded superabsorbent polymer microspheres in an animal model, intra-tumoral doxorubicin concentration peaked at 3 days and remained detectable till 7 days (26).…”

Long-Term Outcome of Transcatheter Subsegmental and Segmental Arterial Chemoemobolization Using Lipiodol for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…Yamakado et al [24] reported excellent survival rates after combined TACE and RFA, similar to outcomes after hepatectomy. In terms of the future of subseg/seg lip-TACE, the number of pure subseg/seg lip-TACE procedures seems likely to decrease with wider use of RFA and RFA combined with lip-TACE, but subseg/seg lip-TACE will remain an important and useful therapeutic option with the development of new intra-arterial therapies using lipophilic platinum derivatives, drug-eluting beads, and radioactive beads [33,34].…”

“…In contrast, for the purposes of providing better therapeutic outcomes for TACE, a novel anticancer agent for use mixed with lipiodol as a hepatic arterial-infusion drug for HCC has been developed in Japan [33]. In addition, several new embolic materials, such as drug-delivery beaded embolic materials and superabsorbent polymer microspheres [34], have been developed and used with favorable results and are going to be introduced to Japan in the near future. Under such circumstances, clarification of the longterm therapeutic outcomes of subseg/seg lip-TACE will be valuable as basic comparative data and will play an important role in resolving current unstable situations and achieving future advances.…”