Improvement in the condition of patients with primary liver cancer with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization before and after microwave ablation interventional therapy.

BACKGROUND

We compared the clinical efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with microwave ablation (MWA) and TACE alone for the treatment of patients with primary liver cancer (PLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 160 patients with PLC were enrolled and randomized into a study group (n=80) and a control group (n=80). Patients in the study group were treated with TACE combined with MWA, whereas those in the control group were treated with TACE alone. Treatment efficacy, changes in hepatic function indices after the treatment, incidence of adverse reactions, quality of life after treatment, and 3-year survival rates of the two groups were compared. Cox proportional hazards model was used for analyzing the patients' prognostic factors.

RESULTS

The total effective rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). Patients in the study group had lower alanine aminotransferase and total bilirubin levels (P<0.05) and higher albumin levels (P<0.05) than those in the control group. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates in the study group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Cox proportional hazards model showed that tumor size, extrahepatic metastasis, portal vein tumor thrombosis, severity of liver cirrhosis, and therapeutic methods were independent risk factors for patients with PLC.

CONCLUSIONS

TACE combined with MWA is more effective than TACE alone in treating PLC, reducing the damage to the patients' cardiac function and prolonging survival.