Aspirin Is Associated With Improved Liver Function After Embolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to assess the mechanism by which aspirin therapy improves survival when combined with transarterial chemoembolization or transarterial embolization (TAE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. A retrospective review included 304 patients with HCC who were treated with TAE. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of whether the patient took aspirin (n = 42) or did not take aspirin (n = 262) at the time of initial TAE. For each patient, response of embolized tumors, time to progression, initial site of progression, survival time, and liver function test results before and after embolization were evaluated. RESULTS. Patients taking aspirin and those not taking aspirin at the time of initial TAE for HCC had no difference in initial response rate (88% vs 90% complete response or partial response, p = 0.59), median time to progression (6.2 vs 5.2 months, p = 0.42), initial site of progression (p = 0.77), or fraction of patients dying with disease progression (88% vs 89%, p = 1.00). Before embolization, there was no difference in mean bilirubin level (0.8 vs 0.9 mg/dL, p = 0.11) for patients taking versus not taking aspirin. Among patients taking aspirin, bilirubin level was significantly lower 1 day (0.9 vs 1.3, p < 0.001), 1 month (0.9 vs 1.2, p = 0.048), and 1 year (0.8 vs 1.0, p = 0.021) after embolization. The median overall survival period after initial embolization was longer for patients taking aspirin (57 vs 23 months, p = 0.008). CONCLUSION. Aspirin use is associated with improved liver function test results and survival after TAE for HCC. It is not associated with differences in response or time to progression.