Clinical efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods Sixty-six patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were divided into the control group and the observation group by numerical form randomly, with 33 patients in each group. The control group was given TACE treatment, while the observation group used TACE combined with RFA for treatment. The clinical efficacy and survival rate were compared between the two groups. Results The total effective rate was 93.94% in the observation group, significantly higher than 69.70% in the control group(χ2=4.991, P=0.026). The survival rates of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year were 90.91%, 81.82% and 69.70%, respectively, with a median survival period of 2.316 years in the observation group. The survival rates of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year were 75.76%, 54.55% and 30.30%, respectively, with a median survival period of 1.752 years in the control group. There was significant difference between the two groups(P0.05). Conclusion The clinical effect of TACE combined with RFA in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma is good. It can effectively raise the tumor necrosis rate, improve the quality of life, and prolong survival of the patients.