[The efficacy and prognosis of transcatheter chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma in the elderly]

Four hundred and twenty-one patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who firstly underwent transcatheter arterial chemoembolization were divided into three groups as "younger" (32-69yr-old, n = 340), "elderly" (70-79yr-old, n = 74) and "super-elderly" (80-89yr-old, n = 7). Between "younger" and "elderly," clinical stage of underlying liver disease, stage of hepatocellular carcinoma and tumor necrosis rate at first treatment did not differ significantly. In these two groups, the first year survival rates were 83.2, 79.7%, the third year survival rates were 47.2, 36.5% and the fifth year survival rates were 22.9, 14.5% respectively. Cumulative survival rate of the "elderly" was similar to the "younger". Factors significantly affecting the survival period included advanced clinical stage of underlying liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, poor tumor necrosis at the first treatment and high serum alpha-fetoprotein level in the "younger" and high alpha-fetoprotein, advanced stage of hepatocellular carcinoma and presence of other than liver disease in "elderly". Transarterial chemoembolization is useful for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in the "elderly" with the attention for their underlying diseases.