Comparison on adverse reactions between HepaSphere-loaded microspheres and lipiodol emulsion from transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization on large primary liver cancer

Objective: To compare the adverse reactions of HepaSphere-loaded microspheres and lipiodol emulsion as embolization agents in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) submitted to transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) . Methods: Patients diagnosed as large primary liver cancer (129 cases) were all treated with TACE in Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from March 2015 to May 2016. Among them, 68 cases (microsphere group) used HepaSphere-loaded microspheres as TACE embolization material, and the other 61 cases (lipiodol group) used iodinated oil emulsifier as TACE embolization material. We then statistically analyzed the adverse events (such as fever, pain, nausea and vomiting) and liver function during and after TACE in both groups. Results: The most common adverse reaction during TACE was hepatalgia, the level of which in the microsphere group was lower than that of the lipiodol group (P<0.05) . Fever, pain, nausea, vomiting and liver dysfunction were common postoperative adverse reactions of TACE. Compared with the lipiodol group, the microspheres group had lower degree of fever (P<0.05) and postoperative pain (P<0.05) . There were no significant differences in the levels of AST, ALT, ALB, TBIL and PT between the two groups 3 d after TACE, whereas the AST level of the microspheres group was lower than that of the lipiodol group 7 d after TACE. The difference was statistically significant which meant in terms of postoperative recovery, the microsphere group gained better results than the lipiodol group. Conclusions: These results suggest that the microsphere group shows less adverse reactions during or after TACE and better recovery of liver function after the operation. Key words: Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; Hepatocellular carcinoma; HepaSphere microsphere; Adverse reaction