[Studies on combination therapy with TAE and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma].

We studied and analysed the effects of combination therapy with TAE and PEIT for unresectable HCC. The subjects were 28 patients (21 males, 7 females) with 31 tumors treated in the Department of Surgery, Osaka Teishin Hospital. The patients were divided into four groups on the basis of the tumor size (< 3 cm, 3-5 cm, 5-8 cm, > 8 cm). The therapeutic effect on the tumors was evaluated on the basis of the maximum reduction rate within 3 months after TAE and PEIT. The response rates after treatment were 87.5%, 60.0%, 25.0% and 0% for < 3 cm, 3-5 cm, 5-8 cm, and > 8 cm tumor size, respectively. The 50% survival period was 50.9 months. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 92%, 76%, 52% and 32%, respectively. In the cases of over 8 cm, this combination therapy had no effects on the survival period. The findings of the present study suggest that the combination therapy was useful for the unresectable HCC of under 5 cm in diameter.