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Early evaluation of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization-refractory hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract

Background

There is no standard therapy for patients with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE)-refractory hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study examined whether evaluating the tumor effect (TE) at 1 week after TACE was useful for predicting refractoriness to TACE.

Methods

We performed a historical cohort study involving 54 patients and 119 tumors. TE was evaluated at 1 week and 3 months after TACE, and an overall evaluation was also performed at 3 months based on the response evaluation criteria in cancer of the liver.

Results

Among 45 tumors evaluated as TE2 at 1 week, 43 tumors (95.6%) were classified as TE1 or TE2 at 3 months. Of the 24 patients whose tumors were categorized as TE2 at 1 week, none achieved a complete or partial response.

Conclusions

Evaluating the TE at 1 week after TACE is useful for the early diagnosis of TACE-refractory HCC and allows alternative treatment options, such as sorafenib, to be employed before the disease progresses.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Kawaharacho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan

    Kenya Yamanaka, Etsuro Hatano, Koji Kitamura, Taku Iida, Takamichi Ishii, Takahumi Machimito, Kojiro Taura, Kentaro Yasuchika & Shinji Uemoto

  2. Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Hiroyoshi Isoda & Toshiya Shibata

Authors
  1. Kenya Yamanaka
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  2. Etsuro Hatano
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  3. Koji Kitamura
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  4. Taku Iida
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  5. Takamichi Ishii
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  6. Takahumi Machimito
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  7. Kojiro Taura
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  8. Kentaro Yasuchika
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  9. Hiroyoshi Isoda
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  10. Toshiya Shibata
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  11. Shinji Uemoto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Etsuro Hatano.

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Yamanaka, K., Hatano, E., Kitamura, K. et al. Early evaluation of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization-refractory hepatocellular carcinoma. J Gastroenterol 47, 343–346 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0511-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-011-0511-x

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