Long-Term Outcomes of Balloon TACE for HCC: An European Multicentre Single-Arm Retrospective Study

To report response rates (using mRECIST), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival and local tumour recurrence-free survival (LRFS) of balloon-occluded transarterial chemoembolisation (bTACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Patients from five European centres treated with conventional or drug-eluting microsphere bTACE for HCC were included, and patients already lost to follow-up before 12 months were excluded. Possible factors contributing to LRFS and OS were evaluated with Cox proportional hazards models.

Seventy-three patients were enrolled. The mean number of nodules per patient was 2.07(± 1.68), and the average maximum diameter of the nodules was 37 ± 19.9 mm. The response of the target lesion at 6 months was complete response (CR) in 58.9%, partial response (PR) in 28.8%, stable disease (SD) in 6.8% and progressive disease (PD) in 5.5%. The median follow-up time was 31 months; at the last follow-up, target tumour response was CR in 49.3%, PR in 12.3%, SD in 5.5% and PD 32.9%. Overall response at the last follow-up was CR in 17.8%, PR in 9.6%, SD 2.7% and PD in 69.9% (for new lesions in 37% of patients). Median OS was not reached; mean overall survival was 50.0 months, while median LRFS was 31.0 months. At uni- and multivariable analysis, only tumour maximum diameter was related to LRFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.021; 95% CI 1.004-1.038, P = 0.015).

bTACE demonstrated high efficacy for HCC, with a complete response in 58.9% of patients, a median local recurrence-free survival of 31.0 months and a mean overall survival of 50.0 months.