Intraarterial Therapies for the Management of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Image-guided locoregional therapies play a crucial role in the management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transarterial therapies consist of a group of catheter-based treatments where embolic agents are delivered directly into the tumor via their supplying arteries. Some of the transarterial therapies available include bland embolization (TAE), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), drug-eluting beads–transarterial chemoembolization (DEB–TACE), selective internal radioembolization therapy (SIRT), and hepatic artery infusion (HAI). This article provides a review of pre-procedural, intra-procedural, and post-procedural aspects of each therapy, along with a review of the literature. Newer embolotherapy options and future directions are also briefly discussed.

Keywords

• hepatocellular carcinoma
• transarterial chemoembolization
• hepatic artery infusion
• selective internal radioembolization therapy
• bland embolization
• drug-eluting beads–transarterial chemoembolization