REPEATED TRANSCATHETER ARTERIAL EMBOLIZATION THERAPY FOR HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Repeated transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) therapy was done for 98 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. TAE was performed by Seldinger method using gelatin sponge particles as emboli. When viable tumor was suspected on computerized tomography (CT) after therapy, next TAE therapy was planned within three months as a rule. Cumulative one-year survival rate after therapy was 71.6%, and two-year 44.1%, three-year 30.5%. Complete dissappearance of cancer on CT and angiogram was achieved in thirteen patients (13.3%). Adverse symptoms and sings were minimal as a whole. "Every three-months TAE" therapy was done in 86 patients, but it was not attained in other 12 patients whose hepatoma required additional TAE therapy. In former group, out of 30 dead cases only 8 cases (26.7%) died from primary focus of the tumor, and 8 died from lung or brain metastasis of the tumor, 12 from hepatic failure or other etiology. In other hand, out of 12 patients who had insufficient "every three-months" therapy, 10 (83.3%) died from primary site of the tumor. Although almost of hepatocellular carcinoma were successfully managed by repeated TAE therapy, certain kinds of tumors were difficult to treat which include infiltrative type of hepatocellular carcinoma and cases with HBe antigen positive liver cancer.