[Evaluation of chemoembolization as an adjuvant therapy for primary liver carcinoma after surgical resection]

In order to decrease the intrahepatic recurrence rate after surgical resection of hepatoma, from October 1989 to December 1992, 219 patients were recruited to a prospective trial to evaluate transcatheter hepatic arterial chemo-embolization (TCE) as a postoperative adjuvant therapy for primary liver carcinoma. These patients who underwent radical or palliative resection were divided into 3 groups: (1) Resection of tumor; (2) TCE three to four weeks after resection; (3) Relapse after resection plus TCE. This study presented the principle, techniques and results of TCE. The intrahepatic recurrence rate was 58.6% in group I and 9.5% in group II (P < 0.001). The 1-, 2-, 3-year-survival rates were 67.2%, 52.0%, 42.8% of the patients in group I, while 95.2%, 84.7%, 67.7% in the patients in group II (P < 0.05). The 1-, 2-, 3-year-survival rates were 21.5%, 0%, 0% of the patients who underwent palliative. resection only, while 66.7%, 41.7% of the patients in group III (P < 0.001). Taken together, adjuvaut chemoembolization helps decrease the recurrence rate and increase the survival rate in patients with primary liver cancer treated with surgical resection.