Prognostic factors for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma complicated by portal vein tumor thrombus

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated by portal vein tumor thrombus, and to identify related prognostic factors. MethodsThe clinical data of 152 HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombus who were admitted to Xijing Hospital of Fourth Military Medical University and received TACE from January 2006 to December 2010 were analyzed retrospectively. The occurrence of post-TACE liver failure, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and post-embolization syndrome was observed, and survival data and prognostic factors were analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate cumulative survival rate, the log-rank test was used for univariate analysis, and the Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariate analysis. ResultsThe median survival time was 5.0 months, and the 6-, 12-, and 18-month cumulative survival rates were 37%, 18%, and 9%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that tumor size, tumor type, involvement of both liver lobes, distant metastasis, and Child-Pugh class were the prognostic factors for TACE in HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (χ2=5.108, 11.542, 6.036, 12.319, and 22.574, respectively, all P＜0.05); multivariate analysis showed that tumor size, tumor type, distant metastasis, and Child-Pugh class were the independent prognostic factors (Wald values=11.243, 5.021, 7.651, and 25876, respectively, all P＜0.05); Child-Pugh class was the only influencing factor for liver failure in HCC patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (P=0.015). ConclusionTACE is safe and effective in HCC patients with portal vein thrombus and good liver function. Tumor size, tumor type, distant metastasis, and Child-Pugh class are the main factors influencing survival, which provides a basis for clinicians to select appropriate interventional therapies.