Use of transcatheter arterial infusion of anticancer agents with lipiodol to prevent recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatectomy has been accepted as a reliable cure for primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the residual liver recurrence rate after hepatectomy remains high. To improve the prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC, repeated post-operative transcatheter arterial infusions of anticancer drugs and lipiodol (TAI) was given. This study evaluates the efficacy of this treatment for preventing residual liver recurrence after hepatectomy.

METHODOLOGY

TAI after hepatectomy was performed in 24 (TAI group) of 65 cases showing tumor invasion such as infiltration to the capsule, intraportal spread, and intrahepatic metastasis. In TAI, a mixture of Mitomycin C (MMC) and Adriamycin (ADM) is administered with lipiodol via the hepatic artery. The recurrence and survival rates of the TAI (n = 24) and non-TAI (n = 41) groups were compared to evaluate the efficacy of TAI after hepatectomy.

RESULTS

The TAI group had a lower cumulative residual liver recurrence rate than the non-TAI group (p < 0.01). Division of residual liver recurrence cases into two groups according to the duration of recurrence showed that the rate of recurrence within 1 year after hepatectomy was lower in the TAI group (10.0%) (1/10) than in the non-TAI group (48.4%) (15/31) (p = 0.07). Also, the cumulative survival rate in the TAI group was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The morbidity rate was 16.6%. Bilomas occurred without infection in 2 cases, and liver abscess in one.

CONCLUSIONS

TAI may be an effective surgical adjuvant against residual liver recurrence, and we suggest that its effectiveness results from suppression of intrahepatic micrometastases rather than multicentric carcinogenesis.