Abstract

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been widely used as a standard treatment for HCC patients who are not suitable candidates for curative treatments and as a bridge to liver transplantation. The rationale for TACE is that the intra-arterial chemotherapy using lipiodol and chemotherapeutic agents, followed by selective vascular embolization, will result in a strong cytotoxic effect combined with ischemia (conventional TACE). Recently, drug-eluting beads (DC Bead®) for the transcatheter treatment of HCC have been developed to deliver higher doses of chemotherapeutic agent and to prolong contact time with the tumor. DC Bead® has the ability to actively sequester doxorubicin hydrochloride from solution and release it in a controlled and sustained fashion. Treatment with DC Bead® has been shown to substantially diminish the amount of chemotherapeutic agent that reaches the systemic circulation compared with conventional, lipiodol-based regimens, significantly reducing drug-related adverse events. In this article, we describe the treatment efficacy and safety of TACE with the drug-eluting bead for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and discuss future therapeutic possibilities.

• Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma;Transarterial chemoembolization;Conventional TACE;Drug-eluting bead