Evaluation of the therapeutic effect of hepatic arterial chemoembolization combined with portal chemoembolization for advanced hepatic carcinomas

Objective To evaluate the effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) together with portal vein chemoembolization (PVCE) for the treatment of advanced liver carcinomas. Methods Forty-eight patients with liver carcinoma were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in study group (n = 22) were treated with TACE together with PVCE, and patients in control group (n = 26) were treated with TACE alone. Results Based on the postoperative CT findings and AFP levels, the effective rate of the study group was markedly higher than that of control group and the difference between two groups was statistically significant (P 0.05). The volume of un-embolized liver tissue in the patients of study group was obviously increased after treatment. Conclusion TACE together with PVCE is superior to TACE alone in treating advanced hepatic carcinomas. The combination of TACE and PVCE can effectively increase the successful rate of surgical resection for the advanced hepatic carcinomas.