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Outcome of transarterial chemoembolization in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and study Aims: Liver cancer, most commonly known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), was ranked as the sixth most common cancer in Saudi Arabia in 2014. Management of unresectable HCC is multidisciplinary and could include radiofrequency ablation, systemic-targeted therapy, and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). This study aimed to assess the survival outcome of patients with unresectable HCC undergoing TACE in Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with unresectable HCC who were treated with TACE between 2004 and 2016. Patient's demographics, etiology of liver disease, Child–Turcotte–Pugh stage, computed tomography scan findings, laboratory results, details of treatment sessions, and follow-up visit data were obtained from the National Liver Disease Research Database. Results: Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with HCC underwent 103 TACE sessions at our hospital. Median overall survival time was 20 months (range 0–98). Median progression-free survival was 9 months (range 1–98). Follow-up imaging revealed progressive disease in 20 patients (54.05%), while 17 had no disease progression, and none had complete resolution. Conclusion: Our results are similar to those of previous studies that reported the benefit of TACE on survival rates of HCC patients. The correlation found between median overall survival and international normalized ratio and bilirubin level could reflect the importance of liver function deterioration effects on outcomes.