TACE combined with CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinomas:an analysis of factors affecting the therapeutic result

Objective To investigate the factors affecting the complete ablation of primary hepatocellular carcinomas after the treatment of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE) combined with CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation.Methods A total of 62 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in this study.All the patients were treated with TACE,which was followed by CT-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation within one month after TACE.One month after the ablation, multiphase enhanced CT scan or MRI scan plus multiphase enhanced MRI scan was performed to evaluate the ablation degree of the tumors.Results The overall complete ablation rate was 79%,while the tumor residual rate was 21%.For the tumors with the maximum diameter30 mm,30 - 50 mm,50 - 70 mm and70 mm,the complete ablation rates were 100%,92.6%,53.8%and 22.2%,respectively(P0.01 ).For the tumors being≥10mm and10 mm apart from the liver visceral surface,the complete ablation rates were 83.7%and 46.2%,respectively(P = 0.01).The complete response rate of single tumor and multiple lesions were 84.8%and 50%,respectively(P = 0.014).Conclusion The maximum diameter of the tumor is the main factor affecting the complete ablation of the hepatic tumors after TACE.The location of the tumor(near the liver visceral surface) and multiple lesions are the other factors affecting the complete ablation.