Key clinical point: A single session of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may not always confer significant survival benefits in patients with intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); initial nonresponders benefit from a second TACE session.
Major finding: The overall survival of responders to the first TACE was significantly better than that of nonresponders (36.7 vs 21.5 months; P = .071) and comparable with that of initial nonresponders who responded to the second TACE (36.7 vs 47.8 months; P = .701).
Study details: This retrospective study reviewed the data of 94 patients with intermediate-stage HCC who underwent TACE and magnetic resonance imaging before and after TACE.
Disclosures: This study was sponsored by the US National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute and Philips Research North America (PRNA), Cambridge, USA. Some authors reported being advisory board members or consultants for or receiving research grants from various sources. MD Lin is a former employee of PRNA.
Source: Zhao Y et al. Three-dimensional quantitative tumor response and survival analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma patients who failed initial transarterial chemoembolization: Repeat or switch treatment? Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(15):3615 (Jul 25). Doi: 10.3390/cancers14153615