Efficacy and Safety of DEB-TACE for Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma With the Largest Tumor Diameter ≥7 cm

Abstract

Objective: To explore the effectiveness and safety of DEB-TACE in patients with primary huge hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: From January 2017 to January 2019, 87 patients with huge unresectable HCC were retrospectively analyzed. 48 cases received drug-elutted beads for transarterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE group), and 39 cases received conventional transarterial chemoembolization (c-TACE group). The tumor treatment response, overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), the incidence of adverse events (AEs) were compared between the two groups and the factors influencing OS were analyzed. Results: The median follow-up was 295 days (ranges 78 to 603 days). There was no statistical difference in baseline characteristics and follow-up treatment between the two groups. The objective response rate(ORR) of DEB-TACE group was higher than that of c-TACE group within 3 months after treatment. The change was similar in the incidence of AEs between the two groups; DEB-TACE group showed longer PFS and OS than c-TACE group. Cox-regression multivariate analysis showed that DEB-TACE was an important factor affecting the overall survival. Conclusion: DEB-TACE prolonged the survival time of patients with huge unresectable HCC and could be a better choice than c-TACE without increasing the incidence of AEs.