https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0018-9993
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Abstract
Background
The efficacy of the transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) process combined with percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI, TACE-P) or the radiofrequency ablation (RFA, TACE-R) process was found to be good when used for the treatment of patients suffering from early or intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (eiHCC). The study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of the TACE-P with TACE-A processes followed during the treatment of patients with eiHCC.
Methods
A total of 241 patients suffering from eiHCC, subjected to TACE-P (147 patients) or TACE-R (94 patients) processes from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2018, were retrospectively reviewed and included. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to reduce selection bias.
Results
The median overall survival (mOS) and progression-free survival (mPFS) of the TACE-P group were similar to those recorded for the TACE-R group (P>0.05) before using the PSM technique. Similar results were obtained post the use of the PSM technique. In the subgroup analysis after PSM, patients with single tumor (dimension: ≤5 cm), who were subjected to TACE-P-based treatment methods, exhibited worse tumor response than patients subjected to TACE-R-based methods (HR: 1.804, 95% CI: 1.083–3.005, P=0.023). Seven adverse events were reported. A statistically significant difference for all grades of adverse events (and grade III or IV adverse events) between the two groups (all P>0.05) was not reported.
Conclusion
The benefits and advantages of using the TACE-P based method was similar was those obtained using the TACE-R in patients with eiHCC, especially for patients with a single large tumor or multiple tumors.
Data Deposition and Data Sharing
The data used in the study were available from the correspondence author on reasonable request.
Research Ethics and Consent
This study was approved by ethics committee of Union Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Written informed consent was waived by this institution because the study is a retrospective study. All the data used in the study were uploaded to offline database. The data can be available by the researchers and the patients and their families upon reasonable request.
Disclosure
All authors declared that there were no competing interests existing.