Therapeutic effect of IFN-α therapy after TACE in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of interferon-α(IFN-α)after tran-scatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE)in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: 138 cases of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were prospectively analyzed in thede-partment general surgery of Liaocheng people’s hospital from August 2006 to August 2009. 72cases were treated with TACE only, and 66 cases were treated with TACE and IFN-α. These two groups were divided randomly. Results: There was no significant difference in the AFP levels of the two groups at the second week after the treatment (P0.05), but the AFP levels of the combined treatment group were significantly decreased than that of the TACE group at the 4th week and the 8th week(P0.05). The disease control rate of the TACE group was 62.5% , and the combined group was 78.8% , the difference was significan(tχ2=4.38, P0.05). The new tumor rate of the TACE group at the first month, the second month, the third month, the 4th month and beyond the 4th month were: 6.9% , 26.4% , 33.3% , 18.1% , 11.1% ; the new tumor rate of the combined group were: 3.0% , 7.6% , 19.7% , 37.9% , 21.2% ; the overall difference was significant (χ2=17.47, P0.01). All patients were fol-lowed-up. The average survival time of the TACE group was 238.48±15.65 days, and the combined group was 350.19±22.37 days, the difference was significant (χ2=14.20, P0.01). Conclusions: Combined with IFN-α therapy after TACE in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma can be useful to extend the survival time of patients and can improve the prognosis of patients.