Predictors of therapeutic effect of transarterial chemoembolisation using drug-eluting beads for hepatocellular carcinoma

Aims To identify predictors of a therapeutic effect after transarterial chemoembolisation using drug-eluting beads (DEB-TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and methods Between January 2015 and July 2015, tumour variables and angiographic data were collected for 25 patients (49 target lesions) after they had undergone the DEB-TACE procedure for HCC. The therapeutic effect was evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver at follow-up dynamic computed tomography (CT) performed within 1–4 months after the procedure. A p<0.05 was considered significant. Results On a target lesion basis, the objective response (TE3/4) rate was 63.3% (31 of 49). On univariate analysis, larger size (≥2 cm) was a predictor of an objective response (p=0.029). The tumour location of the medial (segment 4) or caudate (segment 1) lobe also indicated a poor therapeutic effect (TE1/2), but not at the level of significance (p=0.051). Multivariate analysis identified tumour size (odds ratio, 8.60; 95% confidence interval, 1.87–62.8) and tumour location (odds ratio, 12.2; 95% confidence interval, 2.12–129.8) as significant factors associated with a therapeutic effect. On a patient basis, 10 of 25 (40%) patients showed complete response/partial response. There were no significant differences between complete response/partial response and stable disease/progressive disease regarding age, gender, tumour markers, history of previous treatment, Child–Pugh class, T-stage, or Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging. Conclusion A short-term therapeutic effect was associated with tumour size and location on a target lesion basis.