Radiation therapy or hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of stereotactic conformal radiotherapy combined with transhepatic arterial chemotherapy and embolization (TACE) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and the value of its application. Methods: From August 2012 to August 2014, 37 patients of HCC with PVTT underwent stereotactic conformal radiotherapy combined with TACE. compared with 45 patients only accepted TACE. The remission rate, 1 year survival rate and overall survival time were analyzed in this study between two groups. Results: The stereotactic conformal radiotherapy and TACE can control tumor cells proliferation and the growth of tumor more effectively (59.45% vs. 31.11%, P < 0.05), improve the 1 year survival rate more significantly (29.73% vs. 8.89%, P < 0.05) than, that of the TACE group. Conclusion: Stereotactic conformal radiotherapy combined with TACE therapy is an effective method for treatment of HCC with PVTT. It can improve the prognosis and prolong the overall survival time. (authors)