Original Article
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World J Gastroenterol. Sep 14, 2013; 19(34): 5622-5632
Published online Sep 14, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i34.5622
Doxorubicin-eluting bead vs conventional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma before liver transplantation
Daniele Nicolini, Gianluca Svegliati-Baroni, Roberto Candelari, Cinzia Mincarelli, Alessandra Mandolesi, Italo Bearzi, Federico Mocchegiani, Andrea Vecchi, Roberto Montalti, Antonio Benedetti, Andrea Risaliti, Marco Vivarelli
Daniele Nicolini, Federico Mocchegiani, Andrea Vecchi, Roberto Montalti, Marco Vivarelli, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, Department of Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60129 Ancona, Italy
Gianluca Svegliati-Baroni, Antonio Benedetti, Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60129 Ancona, Italy
Roberto Candelari, Cinzia Mincarelli, Division of Interventional Radiology, Department of Radiological Sciences, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60129 Ancona, Italy
Alessandra Mandolesi, Italo Bearzi, Division of Pathology, Department of Pathology, Polytechnic University of Marche, 60129 Ancona, Italy
Andrea Risaliti, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, 33100 Udine, Italy
Author contributions: Nicolini D designed the study, collected data, wrote the paper, and performed the statistical analysis; Svegliati-Baroni G performed clinical management of patients before and after radiological procedures; Candelari R and Mincarelli C performed all transcatheter arterial chemoembolization procedures; Mandolesi A and Bearzi I performed all histological examinations of explanted livers; Mocchegiani F and Vecchi A performed clinical follow-up of patients after liver transplantation; Montalti R performed the statistical analysis and edited the manuscript; Benedetti A involved in manuscript editing; Risaliti A performed transplant procedures; Vivarelli M performed transplant procedures, designed the study, and edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Daniele Nicolini, MD, Division of Hepatobiliary and Transplant Surgery, Department of Gastroenterology and Transplantation, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ospedali Riuniti, via Conca n° 71, 60129 Ancona, Italy. nicolini_daniele@yahoo.it
Telephone: +39-71-5965051 Fax: +39-71-5965100
Received: April 25, 2013
Revised: July 10, 2013
Accepted: July 17, 2013
Published online: September 14, 2013
Processing time: 141 Days and 13.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The manuscript reports the experience with a newer technique of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) that uses doxorubicin-eluting beads (DEB) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in liver transplant candidates. The results of DEB-TACE were compared to those of conventional TACE, and remarkably, a significantly higher recurrence-free survival after liver transplantation was observed in patients who were treated with DEB-TACE. The histological pattern observed in the area surrounding the tumor nodules of DEB-TACE patients was characterized by an intense inflammatory and fibrotic reaction, which could play a role in limiting tumor spread during waiting list time.