Local Efficacy and Safety of Transarterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Epirubicin-Loaded DC Beads vs. Epirubicin-Lipiodol Emulsion with Gelatin Sponge (cTACE).

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety between epirubicin-loaded DC Beads (DCB-TACE) and conventional TACE (cTACE) used in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and methods: This retrospective study enrolled 64 patients (mean age, 73.3 years; 44 men, 20 women) who underwent initial DCB-TACE between 2014 and 2015, and 66 patients (mean age, 71.3 years; 38 men, 28 women) who underwent initial cTACE between 2011 and 2013 as historical controls. Treatment effects on the target lesions at 3 months after TACE, the period until re-treatment of the target lesion, and adverse events after TACE were compared between the groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed to estimate the factors influencing the treatment effects.

Results: Based on the Response Evaluation Criteria in Cancer of the Liver version 2015, treatment response of the target lesions equivalent to a complete response and termed as TE4, was 51.0% (53/104) in the DCB-TACE group and 74.4% (64/86) in the cTACE group (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the TACE procedure, Child-Pugh score, serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level, alpha fetoprotein level, and tumor size were independent significant predictors of TE4. The frequencies of elevated serum AST and alanine transaminase levels after TACE were significantly lower in patients in the DCB-TACE group (p<0.001 each). No significant difference in biliary/liver damage was evident between the groups.

Conclusion: The local efficacy of cTACE was higher than that of DCB-TACE. Adverse events were milder after DCB-TACE than after cTACE.