Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 7, 2014; 20(37): 13453-13465
Published online Oct 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i37.13453
Interventional treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma
Satoru Murata, Takahiko Mine, Fumie Sugihara, Daisuke Yasui, Hidenori Yamaguchi, Tatsuo Ueda, Shiro Onozawa, Shin-ichiro Kumita
Satoru Murata, Takahiko Mine, Fumie Sugihara, Daisuke Yasui, Hidenori Yamaguchi, Tatsuo Ueda, Shiro Onozawa, Shin-ichiro Kumita, Department of Radiology/Center for Advanced Medical Technology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan
Author contributions: Murata S contributed to conception and design, literature search, manuscript preparation and editing; Mine T, Sugihara F, Yasui D, Yamaguchi H, Ueda T, Onozawa S and Kumita S contributed to literature search, manuscript preparation and editing; all authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript in its final form; Murata S is the guarantor of the article.
Correspondence to: Satoru Murata, MD, PhD, Department of Radiology/Center for Advanced Medical Technology, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5 Sendagi, Bunkyou-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan. genji@nms.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-58146240 Fax: +81-3-56851795
Received: March 11, 2014
Revised: April 22, 2014
Accepted: July 24, 2014
Published online: October 7, 2014
Processing time: 209 Days and 21.9 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Interventional treatments for intermediate-stage HCC patients such as transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), drug-eluting bead embolization, and radioembolization, continue to evolve, improving prognosis. However, advanced-stage HCC is typically treated only with sorafenib, with only a modest improvement in overall survival. More effective therapies such as combined TACE and radiotherapy, TACE with special techniques, and isolated hepatic perfusion have been studied extensively. This review summarizes data on published and important ongoing studies concerning interventional treatments for unresectable HCC and discusses technical improvements in these interventions, particularly for advanced-stage HCC.