Radiofrequency Ablation, TACE and Combined Treatment for Multiple Recurrent HCC Patients Within the Milan Criteria

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to compare radiofrequency ablation ,TACE and their combined treatment in terms of safety and efficacy. Methods Retrospective analysis was carried out on the medical records of patients who had previously undergone curative hepatic resection and suffered multiple recurrent HCCs within the Milan criteria. The cohort of patients receiving RFA was compared to the cohort of patients receiving TACE and combined treatment. Disease outcome was investigated in terms of survival after recurrence. RESULTS From January 2006 to April 2014, 964 patients with recurrent HCC were enrolled in the database of West China Hospital. A total of 360 patients (37.3%) were enrolled in this retrospective study based on the inclusion criteria. In these patients, 177 (49.2%) received TACE, 121 (33.6%) received RFA, and 62 (17.2%) underwent combined treatment (CT). There was a statistically significant difference between the survival rates among the 3 groups: in the TACE group, the median survival time (MST) was 25 months, with 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of 93.1%, 50.0% and 26.4%, respectively; in the RFA group, the MST was 33 months, with 1- ,2- , and 3-year survival rates of 96.7%, 65.7% and 40.1%, respectively; and in the CT group, the MST was 36 months, with 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates of 96.8%, 78.1% and 48.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION Compared with TACE, RFA and combined treatment demonstrated a survival benefit for managing patients who had HCC recurrence with a total of 2-3 tumours.