Abstract
Transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (THCE) for HCC has the dual aim of producing tumor ischemia by embolization of the arterial supply to the tumor and increasing the time that chemoth-erapeutic agents act on the target area. Although there is a wealth of clinical experience with THCE for HCC in Japan, the indications for THCE for advanced HCC such as HCC with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) are still unclear. We performed THCE in patients with advanced HCC according to our selection criteria under pre-, intra-, and post-THCE intensive care, which have reduced the mortality associated with THCE in these patients. In this paper, we describe our experience, selection criteria and approach to THCE for patients with advanced HCC.
