Aim: To investigate whether transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before liver transplantation (LT) improves long-term survival in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.
Methods: A retrospective study was conducted among 204 patients with HCC who received LT from January 2002 to December 2010 in PLA General Hospital. Among them, 88 patients received TACE before LT. Prognostic factors of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP), intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative blood transfusion, disease-free survival time, survival time with tumor, number of tumor nodules, tumor size, tumor number, presence of blood vessels and bile duct invasion, lymph node metastasis, degree of tumor differentiation, and preoperative liver function were determined in accordance with the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (Child) classification and model for end-stage liver disease. We also determined time of TACE before transplant surgery and tumor recurrence and metastasis according to different organs. Cumulative survival rate and disease-free survival rate curves were prepared using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the log-rank and χ(2) tests were used for comparisons.
Results: In patients with and without TACE before LT, the 1, 3 and 5-year cumulative survival rate was 70.5% ± 4.9% vs 91.4% ± 2.6%, 53.3% ± 6.0% vs 83.1% ± 3.9%, and 46.2% ± 7.0% vs 80.8% ± 4.5%, respectively. The median survival time of patients with and without TACE was 51.857 ± 5.042 mo vs 80.930 ± 3.308 mo (χ(2) = 22.547, P < 0.001, P < 0.05). The 1, 3 and 5-year disease-free survival rates for patients with and without TACE before LT were 62.3% ± 5.2% vs 98.9% ± 3.0%, 48.7% ± 6.7% vs 82.1% ± 4.1%, and 48.7% ± 6.7% vs 82.1% ± 4.1%, respectively. The median survival time of patients with and without TACE before LT was 50.386 ± 4.901 mo vs 80.281 ± 3.216 mo (χ(2) = 22.063, P < 0.001, P < 0.05). TACE before LT can easily lead to pulmonary or distant metastasis of the primary tumor. Although there was no significant difference between the two groups, the chance of metastasis of the primary tumor in the group with TACE was significantly higher than that of the group without TACE.
Conclusion: TACE pre-LT for HCC patients increased the chances of pulmonary or distant metastasis of the primary tumor, thus reducing the long-term survival rate.
Keywords: Disease-free survival rate; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver transplantation; Long-term survival rate; Transarterial chemoembolization.