Bridging treatment prior to liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: radioembolization or transarterial chemoembolization?

In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, intraarterial therapies are regularly employed as a bridge to liver transplantation to prevent tumor progression during waiting time. Objective of this study was to compare HCC recurrence after liver transplantation following TACE or radioembolization bridging treatment. We retrospectively analyzed prospectively collected data on 131 consecutive HCC patients who underwent liver transplantation between January 2007 and December 2017 at our liver transplant center (radioembolization n = 44, TACE n = 87). Multivariable logistic regression and cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with tumor recurrence and post-transplant survival. Between groups, patients were comparable with regards to age and gender. In the radioembolization group, Milan criteria for HCC were met significantly less frequently (20.5% vs. 65.5%, p