Korean J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg.  2015 May;19(2):59-65. 10.14701/kjhbps.2015.19.2.59.

Prognostic effect of preoperative sequential transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and portal vein embolization for right hepatectomy in patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma

• Choi JH
• Hwang S
• Lee YJ
• Kim KH
• Ko GY
• Gwon DI
• Ahn CS
• Moon DB
• Ha TY
• Song GW
• Jung DH
• Lee SG

• KMID: 2243050
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14701/kjhbps.2015.19.2.59

Abstract

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS
Both preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) alone and portal vein embolization (PVE) alone have a detrimental prognostic effect on the post-resection outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The main objective of this study was to assess the prognostic impact of preoperative TACE on the long-term survival outcomes in patients undergoing preoperative PVE and right liver resection for solitary HCC.
METHODS
Patients who underwent macroscopic curative right liver resection of solitary HCC that lied between 3.0 and 7.0 cm (n=113) with or without preoperative TACE and PVE were selected for the study, making these subjects were divided into three groups; the TACE-PVE group (n=27), the PVE-alone group (n=13), and the control group (n=73). The subjects in the three groups were followed up for > or =36 months or until death.
RESULTS
The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall patient survival rates of all 113 patients were 96.5%, 88.2%, 81.3% and 65.0%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year overall patient survival rates were 96.3%, 83.4%, 83.4% and 47.6% respectively in the TACE-PVE group; 84.6%, 76.9%, 57.7% and 19.2% respectively in the PVE-alone group; and 98.6%, 91.7%, 85.1% and 81.7% respectively in the control group (p=0.047). Patients were also sub-grouped according to tumor size, and those with a tumor of up to cutoff at 5 cm showed no prognostic difference (p=0.774), but tumor size >5 cm was associated with inferior patient survival only in the TACE-PVE group (p=0.018).
CONCLUSIONS
Preoperative sequential TACE and PVE appear to be compliant to the conventional oncological concept in addition to induction of the future remnant liver regeneration. Therefore, we suggest that preoperative TACE should be come first whenever preoperative PVE for major hepatectomy is planned, especially in patients with hypervascular HCC tumors.

Keyword

Hepatocellular carcinoma; Right hepatectomy; Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; Portal vein embolization; Survival

MeSH Terms

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*
Hepatectomy*
Humans
Liver
Liver Regeneration
Portal Vein*
Survival Rate

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Overall patient survival curve in all 113 patients undergone right liver resection.

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of the overall patient survival curves according to preoperative transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and portal vein embolization (PVE).

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  Fig. 3 Comparison of the overall patient survival curves according to tumor size cutoff at 5 cm in all 113 patients.

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  Fig. 4 Comparison of the overall patient survival curves according to tumor size with a cutoff at 5 cm in the TACE-PVE group (A), PVE-alone group (B) and control group (C).

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