Background Drug-eluting bead (DEB) transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) possesses several advantages over conventional TACE (cTACE) such as higher intratumor drug concentration and lower systemic toxicity, which has been widely applied in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, but related information is insufficient in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM). This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of DEB-TACE versus cTACE in treating elderly CRCLM patients. Methods A total of 43 elderly patients with unresectable CRCLM were retrospectively analyzed in this cohort study, among which 20 cases received DEB-TACE and 23 cases received cTACE. Best treatment response, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AEs) were collected. Results Baseline characteristics were comparable between the DEB-TACE and cTACE groups, with no statistically significant differences observed. Complete response rate (10.0% versus 4.3%, P = 0.468), objective response rate (55.0% versus 30.4%, P = 0.103), and disease control rate (95.0% versus 82.6%, P = 0.206) showed higher tendencies in the DEB-TACE group compared with the cTACE group but did not reach statistical significance. PFS was longer in the DEB-TACE group compared with the cTACE group median: 11.7 (95% CI: 7.5–15.9) versus 6.1 (95% CI: 5.1–7.1) months, P = 0.013, but OS only exhibited a prolonged tendency without statistical significance 21.6 (95% CI: 14.3–28.9) versus 16.3 (95% CI: 11.6–21.0) months, P = 0.076. The incidence of AEs was not different between the DEB-TACE and cTACE groups, including fever, pain, nausea and vomiting, ALT elevation, AST elevation, anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. Conclusion DEB-TACE can be an optional choice for the treatment of elderly CRCLM patients.
Tian et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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