Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of transhepatic arterial infusion of the mixture of epirubicin and microspheres as the embolization materials for treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods: The mixture was made of 10-60 mg epirubicin (Pfizer) mixed with 300-500 microm microspheres in 0.5-2 ml (Contour SE Boston Scientific), which was used for embolizating the artery supplying HCC. Changes of leucocyte counts, liver function, serum AFP level, response of tumor to TACE and complications related to embolization were analyzed before and after TACE.
Results: 136 HCC patients (male/female: 91/45, mean age: 54.8 +/- 13.3 years) were studied. After TACE, the liver function was damaged and tumor size shrunken significantly (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Transhepatic arterial chemoembolization using the mixture of epirubicin and microspheres for embolizating is safe and effective for the treatment of HCC, but the amount of embolization material should be chosen carefully in order to avoid liver function failure.