[Chemoembolization of hepatocarcinoma. Six years' experience]

This study was aimed at retrospectively assessing the effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization by reviewing our six years' experience. From January, 1988, to December, 1993, chemoembolization was performed in more than 400 patients. Of them, 321 patients with complete follow-up were selected. The treatment was retrospectively analyzed according to survival rates. The average survival of chemoembolized patients is 12 months after the first treatment session. Average survival rates in Child A, B and C patients were, respectively, 13.79, 11.2 and 6.01 months. The patients were also divided according to tumor spread and the results follow: patients with single localizations had 15.19 months' survival, those with multiple localization 12.06 and those with tumor spread had 9.51 months' survival. The patients were divided into two groups: complete chemoembolization (group A) and incomplete chemoembolization (group B). The average survival was 15.95 months for 160 group A patients and 10.11 months for 161 group B patients. As for the number of chemoembolization sessions, 123 patients underwent only one session, 112 patients two sessions, 70 patients three, 12 patient four and 4 patients five sessions--625 sessions in all. Chemoembolization was performed every 3-4 months and was always preceded by a CT exam. Our patients were compared with an untreated group where average survival was 6.32 months. The value of CT after the first treatment in predicting survival was also studied. Finally, the methods used in all treatment are reported on, together with the general results and those in the different classes of patients.