Evaluation of combination therapy with transcatheter arterial embolizataion and percutaneous ultrasonographically guided ethanol injection therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Twenty patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were treated by combination therapy with transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) and percutaneous ultrasonographically guided ethanol injection therapy (PEIT) (TAE-PEIT group). Twenty-eight patients with HCC treated by TAE alone were also studied as controls (TAE group).
Survival rate of TAE-PEIT group was significantly higher than that of TAE group. Among TAE-PEIT group, nodular typed HCC with capsule was the most effective type in this combination therapy. However, in massive typed HCC, nodular typed HCC without capsule, and multi-nodular typed HCC, this combination therapy were less effective. We conclude that combination therapy of TAE and PEIT is useful in the treatment of advanced HCC.