New concepts in embolotherapy of HCC

Area of Science:

• Interventional Oncology
• Hepatobiliary Malignancies

Background:

• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer death globally, with rising incidence in the US and Europe.
• Most patients are diagnosed with advanced HCC, precluding curative treatments like surgery or transplantation.
• Transarterial embolotherapies are the standard of care for intermediate to advanced HCC, leveraging the tumor's arterial blood supply.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the principles, techniques, and clinical data of various transarterial embolotherapies for HCC.
• To discuss emerging treatments like 90Yttrium radioembolization and advanced imaging technologies.
• To summarize HCC staging, patient selection, response assessment, and future therapeutic combinations.

Main Methods:

• Review of fundamental principles and technical/clinical data for embolotherapies.
• Discussion of bland transarterial embolization, conventional TACE, and DEB-TACE.
• Evaluation of 90Yttrium radioembolization, cone-beam CT, and novel developments.

Main Results:

• Transarterial embolotherapies offer targeted treatment delivery, sparing healthy liver tissue.
• Technological advancements have progressively improved therapeutic outcomes in HCC.
• Various embolization techniques, including DEB-TACE, are established treatments.

Conclusions:

• Embolotherapies are crucial for managing intermediate to advanced HCC.
• Ongoing innovations in drug delivery, imaging, and combination therapies promise further improvements.
• Accurate staging and response assessment are vital for optimizing patient outcomes.