Chemoembolization and radioembolization

Chemoembolization and radioembolization are at the core of the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who cannot receive potentially curative therapies such as transplantation, resection or percutaneous ablation. They differ in the mechanism of action (ischaemia and increase cytotoxic drug exposure for chemoembolization, internal irradiation for radioembolization) and may target different patient populations. Chemoembolization with cytotoxic drug-eluting beads is a more standardized although not necessarily more effective way of performing chemoembolization. Cytoreduction is achieved in most patients but complete tumor ablation may be achieved and lead to extended survival. Grade 1 level of evidence support the use of chemoembolization for the treatment of patients in the early and intermediate stages while grade 2 evidence supports the use of radioembolization for the treatment of patients in intermediate to advanced stages. Selecting the best candidates for both techniques is still a work in progress that ongoing clinical trials are trying to address.