Cancer Management and Research (Apr 2021)

Efficacy and Safety of Transarterial Chemoembolization for the Treatment of Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma Associated with Bile Duct Tumor Thrombus: A Real-World Retrospective Cohort Study

  • Feng JK,
  • Sun JX,
  • Liu ZH,
  • Gu JW,
  • Chen ZH,
  • Liu C,
  • Guo WX,
  • Shi J,
  • Cheng SQ

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 13
pp. 3551 – 3560

Abstract

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Jin-Kai Feng,1,* Ju-Xian Sun,1,* Zong-Han Liu,1,* Jing-Wen Gu,2,* Zhen-Hua Chen,3 Chang Liu,1 Wei-Xing Guo,1 Jie Shi,1 Shu-Qun Cheng1 1Department of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Basic Medical Sciences, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial Armed Police Corps Hospital, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shu-Qun ChengDepartment of Hepatic Surgery VI, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 225 Changhai Road, Shanghai, 200433, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21- 81875251Fax +86 21- 65562400Email [email protected]: The occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with bile duct tumor thrombus (BDTT) is rare. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with unresectable HCC with BDTT.Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on newly diagnosed HCC and BDTT patients who were initially treated with TACE or conservative management (CM) from 2009 to 2018. Survival outcomes of patients treated with TACE were compared with those of patients given CM. Multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors related to survival.Results: Out of 100 patients included in this study, 40 patients underwent TACE, while the remaining 60 received CM. The median survival time of the TACE group was 8.0 months longer than that of the CM group (13.0 versus 5.0 months, P < 0.001). The 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-month overall survival (OS) rates were 90.0%, 52.5%, 22.5%, and 12.5%, respectively, for the TACE group compared with 26.7%, 8.3%, 5.0%, and 3.3%, respectively, for the CM group. Multivariate analyses showed that treatment allocation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.421; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.243– 0.730; P = 0.002), Child–Pugh status (HR, 2.529; 95% CI, 1.300– 4.920; P = 0.006) and total bilirubin level (HR, 1.007; 95% CI, 1.004– 1.009; P < 0.001) on first admission were independent predictors of OS. There was no procedure-related mortality within one month after TACE treatment.Conclusion: TACE is a safe and effective treatment method that may improve the OS of patients with unresectable HCC with BDTT.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, bile duct tumor thrombus, transarterial chemoembolization, conservative management, overall survival

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