Combined therapy with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and percutaneous microwave coagulation for small hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To assess the efficacy of combined transcatheter arterial chemoembolization （TACE） and percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy （PMCT） for small hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS： Thirty-five patients with a total of 41 HCC nodules （≤ 3 cm in diameter） were treated with TACE followed by computed tomograghy （CT）-guided percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy （PMCT） within 1-3 wk. RESULTS： By biopsies and enhanced CT scans, complete necrosis of the tumor and 3-5 mm of the surrounding non-cancerous area were observed in 34 foci. In seven foci, incomplete necrosis of the surrounding parenchyma was observed. Serum alphafetoprotein （AFP） levels returned to normal 10 d after treatment in 25 patients who originally had high serum AFP levels. The follow-up period was 6-31 mo, and all patients remained alive. One patient had a recurrence in the subsegments of the liver, and another patient had a recurrence near the original lesion. CONCLUSION： Combined therapy with TACE and PMCT is a safe and effective treatment without severe complications for small HCC.