Doxorubicin-eluting beads versus conventional transarterial chemoembolization for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and Aim Doxorubicin‐eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization (DEB‐TACE) is a novel locoregional treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, to date, the benefits of DEB‐TACE versus conventional transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) remain unclear. This meta‐analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the two treatments for patients with unresectable HCC. Methods We searched for relevant articles by means of computerized bibliographic search and complementary manual search. Objective tumor response, overall survival, and adverse events were then calculated and analyzed. Results A total of seven clinical studies with 700 participants were included in the current meta‐analysis. Significantly better objective tumor response was found for DEB‐TACE than for conventional TACE (OR = 1.92, 95% CI [1.34, 2.77]; P = 0.0004), with relative risk difference of 0.15 [0.07, 0.24] (P = 0.0003). One‐year and 2‐year survival rates were statistically significantly higher for DEB‐TACE compared with conventional TACE (Peto OR, 95% CI: 0.64 [0.46, 0.89], P = 0.007; 0.61 [0.47, 0.80], P = 0.0003, respectively). Peto ORs of 6‐month and 3‐year survival were 0.72 [0.46, 1.14] (P = 0.16) and 0.77 [0.55, 1.06] (P = 0.11), respectively, showing no difference statistically. However, we could still find a tendency favoring DEB‐TACE. Adverse side effects were similar in both groups, with postembolization syndrome occurring most commonly. Conclusions This meta‐analysis shows that DEB‐TACE provides significantly better tumor response compared with conventional TACE. One‐year and 2‐year survival are better with DEB‐TACE. In addition, DEB‐TACE is as safe as conventional TACE. Therefore, DEB‐TACE is a better choice for HCC patients for whom curative treatments like liver transplantation and liver resection are not suitable.