Liver cancer: adjuvant TACE extends survival in low-risk patients

Study design

• Monocentric Chinese study of 180 patients with HCC who achieved R0 status with hepatectomy; 102 underwent adjuvant PA-TACE and 78 did not (controls).
• Funding: None disclosed.

Key results

• Median follow-up, 56 months.
• Compared with control patients, PA-TRACE improved median OS (90.7 vs 54.4 months; P<.001 and vs months p>
• PA-TACE vs control, low-risk group:
  • Noninvading: OS, 90.1 vs 52.8 months (P<.001 pfs vs months>
  • Nonportal vein invasion: OS, 91.3 vs 52.2 months (P<.001 pfs vs months>
  • Child-Pugh A: OS, 91.3 vs 65.8 months (P<.001 pfs vs months>
  • Single-lesion: OS, 91.4 vs 47.2 months (P<.001 pfs vs months>
• PA-TACE yielded no significant PFS (P=.629) or OS (P=.254) benefit among 11 high-risk patients (lesions >3 cm, multiple lesions, or portal branch/surrounding tissues invasion) and among female patients (P=.121; P=.104).
• PA-TACE adverse events included fever, pain, nausea, and fatigue; most were grade 1/2.

Limitations

• Retrospective design.