الفهرس 
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HCC
Role of schistosomiasisOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 194 |  |  |
| | | from | 194 | | |
Abstract
ntroduction: In the absence of effective systemic therapy, much hope and effort has been placed in developing and testing methods of local control. Chemoembolization has been prominent internationally as a widely used procedure to suppress intrahepatic tumor growth and perhaps prolong survival. Aim of work: This study compared transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) to best supportive care (BSC). Patients and methods: Sixty five patients with HCC were randomly assigned into two treatment arms. Forty patients treated by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization consisting of 100 mg cisplatin, 50 mg doxorubicin, and 10 ml lipiodol, repeated every 6 weeks according to tumor response. Twentyfive patients treated by best supportive care. All the patients underwent clinical, laboratory, and radiological assessment at study entry. Both treatment arms were well balanced regarding demography of the patients. Full assessment was repeated after 3 months to evaluate the response, in addition to periodic assessment for evaluation of toxicity and time progression. Results: Chemoembolization achieved complete response in 3 patients (8.1%), partial response in 12 patients (32.4%), stable disease in 9 patients (24.3%) and progressive disease in 13 patients (35.1%), while best supportive care achieved stable disease in 5 patients (20%) and progressive disease in 20 patients (80%). Treatment with chemoembolization achieved a significantly higher objective response (P = 0.001). Okuda stage I and serum AFP < 400 ng/ml were associated with better response to chemoembolization (P = 0.007 and P = 0.002 respectively). Conclusions: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), is well tolerated in compensated cases, achieves a remarkable tumor response, may achieve a survival benefit, however the impact on survival is still a matter of debate. Further studies are needed to confirm the survival benefit of chemoembolization in our patients.