Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma: clinical outcome and safety in elderly patients

• Published in: Journal of Cancer Vol. 5; no. 7; pp. 590 - 597
• Main Authors: Nishikawa, Hiroki, Kita, Ryuichi, Kimura, Toru, Ohara, Yoshiaki, Takeda, Haruhiko, Sakamoto, Azusa, Saito, Sumio, Nishijima, Norihiro, Nasu, Akihiro, Komekado, Hideyuki, Osaki, Yukio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Australia Ivyspring International Publisher 01.01.2014
• Subjects: Research Paper; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization; intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma
• ISSN: 1837-9664; 1837-9664
• DOI: 10.7150/jca.9413

The aim of our study was to compare clinical outcomes between elderly patients aged ≥75 years (elderly group, n=66) with intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and younger patients aged <75 years (control group, n=84) with intermediate HCC undergoing TACE. Clinical outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and tumor response rate at initial therapy, were compared between these two groups. The median survival time and the 1- and 3-year cumulative OS rates were 2.90 years and 84.1% and 48.0%, respectively, in the elderly group and 2.44 years and 78.2% and 39.3%, respectively, in the control group (p=0.887). The objective response rate in the elderly group was 81.8% (54/66 patients), while that in the control group was 78.6% (66/84 patients) (p=0.227). Elderly patients with intermediate HCC undergoing TACE had a prognosis comparable with that of younger patients with intermediate HCC undergoing TACE.