Initial Evaluation of the Safety And Efficacy of Transarterial Chemoembolization in the Management Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma at E Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the safety and initial effectiveness of chemical embolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and some related factors.
Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study on 41 patients diagnosed with HCC treated with trans arterial chemoembolisation, followed clinical and paraclinical findings after intervention between April
2024 and May 2025 in Department of Radiology – E Hospital.
Results: the mean participant age was 63.05 ± 10.2 years; 39 were men (95%). The proportion of Child–Pugh A patients was the highest with 40 patients (97.5%); the peak level of AST/ALT 1 week after treatment was 237.2 ± 390.3 UI/L and 259.3 ± 415.1 UI/L for DE B-TACE versus 180 ± 259.5 UI/L and 162.6 ± 206.5 UI/L for cTACE (p >.05). Abdominal pain is the most common symptom following the intervention, with a higher incidence in the DEB-TACE group for tumors < 5 cm (57.1%) compared to 33.3% in the cTACE group. Regarding treatment efficacy, the rate of tumor control after 1 month was good in both DEB-TACE and cTACE groups (92% and 100%, respectively). For tumors <5 cm, the disease control rate (DCR) was better in the cTACE group at 100%. For tumors > 5 cm, the overall response rate (ORR) in the DEB-TACE group (76.5%) was higher compared to cTACE (40%). Additionally, the study showed that for advanced stage BCLC C tumors, the overall response rate (ORR) in the DEB-TACE group was better at 83.3%.
Conclusions: Both DEB-TACE and cTACE have good initial efficacy and safety in treating HCC who were not eligible for curative surgery. For patients with larger tumors and advanced stage (BCLC C),
DEB-TACE demonstrates better efficacy. For patients with smaller tumors, cTACE shows advantages with a higher disease control rate and fewer side effects, particularly when performed using superselective catheterization techniques.