Liver Fibrosis and Five Year Survival of Hepatocellular Cancer Cases Undergoing Transcatheter Arterial Chemo Embolization Using Small Doses

OBJECTIVE: To investigate liver fibrosis, TGF-?1 levels and curative effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with small and conventional dose perfusion chemotherapy by transcatheter arterial chemo embolization (TACE). METHODS: Thirty-six hepatocellular carcinoma patients not indicated for surgical resection underwent super- selective transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, divided into small dose (n=15) and conventional dose (n=21) chemotherapy groups. RESULTS: With conventional doses, four indices of liver fibrosis focusing on hyaluronate acide (HA), human procollagen type-III (hPC-III), collagen type-IV (IV-C) and transforming growth factor-βl (TGF-β1) were obviously increased postoperative compared with preoperative (P<0.01); in contrast, with small doses there were no significant differences except for TGF-β1. Five year survival demonstrated no significant differences between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: To hepatocellular carcinoma patients treated by TACE, reducing doses of chemotherapy drugs can reduce progress of liver fibrosis, without impacting on five year survival.