Published online Nov 21, 2017. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v23.i43.7735
Peer-review started: August 18, 2017
First decision: August 30, 2017
Revised: September 18, 2017
Accepted: October 17, 2017
Article in press: October 17, 2017
Published online: November 21, 2017
Processing time: 94 Days and 16.6 Hours
To evaluate the safety and efficacy of combined endovascular brachytherapy (EVBT), transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and sorafenib to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with main portal vein tumor thrombus (MPVTT).
This single-center retrospective study involved 68 patients with unresectable HCC or those who were unfit for liver transplantation and percutaneous frequency ablation according to the BCLC classification. All patients had Child-Pugh classification grade A or B, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2, and MPVTT. The patients received either EVBT with stent placement, TACE, and sorafenib (group A, n = 37), or TACE with sorafenib (group B, n = 31). The time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by propensity score analysis.
In the entire cohort, the 6-, 12-, and 24-mo survival rates were 88.9%, 54.3%, and 14.1% in group A, and 45.8%, 0%, and 0% in group B, respectively (P < 0.001). The median TTP and OS were significantly longer in group A than group B (TTP: 9.0 mo vs 3.4 mo, P < 0.001; OS: 12.3 mo vs 5.2 mo, P < 0.001). In the propensity score-matched cohort, the median OS was longer in group A than in group B (10.3 mo vs 6.0 mo, P < 0.001). Similarly, the median TTP was longer in group A than in group B (9.0 mo vs 3.4 mo, P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the EVBT combined with stent placement, TACE, and sorafenib strategy was an independent predictor of favorable OS (HR = 0.18, P < 0.001).
EVBT combined with stent placement, TACE, and sorafenib might be a safe and effective palliative treatment option for MPVTT.
Core tip: As portal vein tumor thrombus occurs in a high proportion of hepatocellular carcinoma patients and no standard treatment has been established, we aimed to evaluate the effect of endovascular brachytherapy (EVBT) combined with stent placement, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), and sorafenib and compared this strategy with TACE plus sorafenib alone. The results of our study revealed that EVBT along with stent placement, TACE, and sorafenib is a safe and effective palliative treatment option for main portal vein tumor thrombus.