Therapeutic combination of hepatic arterial chemoembolization with CT-guided radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma: an analysis of curative effect

Objective: To evaluate the combination therapy of CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: TACE followed by CT-guided RFA treatment was performed in 200 patients with HCC, including 164 males and 36 females (aged 19-81 years). TACE procedures totaled 495 times. The lesions amounted to 378, with the diameter of (0.5-16) cm. Three hundred and sixty-two RFA procedures were performed for the ablation at 633 targeted points. Results: AFP level before and 12 months after the procedure was (2 156.79 ± 574.61) ng/ml and (269.53 ± 146.65) ng/ml respectively, with a significant difference between the two (t=16.11, P<0.01). The tumor volume before and 3, 6, 12 months after the treatment was (72.64 ± 24.74) cm3, (46.78 ± 18.95)cm3, (28.27 ± 11.70)cm3 and (10.82 ± 8.31)cm3 respectively, the difference between them was of statistically significance (F=10.77, P<0.01). The complete necrosis rate of the tumor was 87.8%. Conclusion: The treatment of TACE with successive CT-guided RFA is an effective and minimally-invasive therapy for HCC. (authors)