Outcome of MR-guided percutaneous cryoablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose

To assess the mid-term results of MR-guided percutaneous cryoablation for small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Using an argon-based cryoablation system, MR-guided percutaneous cryoablation was performed. The number of tumors was three or fewer. The maximum diameter of tumors was less than 5 cm when solitary and no more than 3 cm when multiple. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate the survival of patients.

Results

Among 15 patients, 16 tumors were treated. The maximum tumor diameter ranged from 1.2 to 4.5 cm, with a mean of 2.5 ± 0.8 cm (mean ± standard deviation). The volume of iceballs measured on MR-images was greater than that of the tumors in all cases. The follow-up period ranged from 10 to 52 months, with a mean of 36.6 ± 12.1 months. One-year and 3-year overall survival were 93.8 and 79.3%, respectively. The complete ablation rate was 80.8% at 3 years. Immediate complications were pneumothorax, hemothorax, and pleural effusion. An ablation zone was not absorbed and content exuded from a scar of the probe tract 4 months after cryoablation in one patient.

Conclusion

MR-guided percutaneous cryoablation appears to be a feasible modality and potentially good option for the treatment of small HCC.

     

氩氦冷冻消融治疗进展期肝癌的疗效及其影响因素研究

目的探讨氩氦冷冻消融治疗乙型肝炎相关性进展期肝细胞癌(HCC)的临床疗效和影响生存期的因素。方法采用临床列队对照研究190例乙型肝炎相关性进展期HCC患者,其中147例行氩氦冷冻消融治疗,43例未行局部消融和肝动脉化疗栓塞治疗。结果氩氦冷冻消融乙型肝炎相关性进展期HCC患者生存期为10.11个月,未治疗者生存期仅为4.73个月,氩氦冷冻消融治疗进展期HCC严重肝损伤发生率为5.4%,Child-Pugh分级≥B8的病例占87.5%,胆红素水平51.3μmol/L者占75%;在HBV相关性进展期HCC中,HBV DNA载量中、低水平占91%,HBeAg阴性患者占66.67%,两者与肿瘤细胞分化程度无关;肝硬化程度及肿瘤细胞分化程度是影响进展期HCC患者生存期的关键因素。结论冷冻消融治疗乙型肝炎相关性进展期HCC能显著延长患者的生存期,是影响进展期HCC生存期的独立因素;Child-Pugh分级≥B8,伴有胆红素水平51.3μmol/L的进展期HCC患者不适宜行冷冻消融;肝硬化程度及肿瘤细胞分化程度是影响进展期HCC患者生存期的关键因素。     

氩氦刀冷冻治疗早期肝癌疗效分析

目的通过回顾性分析，评价氩氦刀冷冻治疗早期肝癌的临床疗效。方法选择48例经氩氦刀冷冻治疗的早期肝癌患者，以治疗后患者的临床表现、局部病灶CT变化、AFP下降情况、术后并发症的发生及平均生存时间作为评价指标。结果氩氦刀冷冻治疗肝癌后患者的并发症少，本研究结束后，共有23例患者存活，25例患者死亡。中位生存期为（33．91±1．39）个月，1、2、3、4年生存率分别为81．3％、62．1％、47．6％、44．4％。结论对于合并严重肝硬化的早期肝癌，氩氦刀治疗的并发症少、效果明显、生存期延长，是理想的治疗手段。     

经皮导管冷冻消融治疗阵发性心房颤动的临床应用

目的:探讨导管冷冻消融术治疗心房颤动的有效性及安全性.方法:对12例阵发性心房颤动患者进行冷冻消融治疗.评价导管冷冻消融术治疗心房颤动的急性成功率、术后并发症以及临床长期有效性.结果:12例阵发性心房颤动患者,共对44根肺静脉进行了冷冻消融,其中29根肺静脉单用环状冷冻导管消融4～6次即能达到肺静脉的完全电隔离,15根肺静脉用环状冷冻导管消融后,需用普通射频消融导管在环形冷冻线上补点消融后才成功隔离肺静脉.随访6～10个月,9例临床症状得到改善,无心房颤动复发,其中3例需服用抗心律失常药维持窦性心律.3例患者心房颤动复发.消融后即刻选择性肺静脉造影和术后6个月核磁共振扫描检查均未发现肺静脉狭窄.结论:经皮导管冷冻消融治疗阵发性心房颤动是安全、有效的,可作为治疗心房颤动的一种有效方法.     

Tumour seeding after percutaneous cryoablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To assess the rate and risk factors for tumour seeding in a large cohort of patients.METHODS: Over an 8-year period, 1436 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with 2423 tumour nodules underwent 3015 image-guided percutaneous cryoablation sessions [1215 guided by ultrasonography and 221 by spiral computed tomography (CT)]. Follow-up CT or magnetic resonance imaging was performed every 3 mo. The detailed clinical data were recorded to analyse the risk factors for seeding.RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 18 (range 1-90) mo. Seeding was detected in 11 patients (0.76%) at 1-24 (median 6.0) mo after cryoablation. Seeding occurred along the needle tract in 10 patients and at a distant location in 1 patient. Seeded tumours usually showed similar imaging and histopathological features to the primary HCCs. Univariate analyses identified subcapsular tumour location and direct subcapsular needle insertion as risk factors for seeding. Multivariate analysis showed that only direct subcapsular needle insertion was an independent risk factor for seeding (P = 0.017; odds ratio 2.57; 95%CI: 1.47-3.65). Seeding after cryoablation occurred earlier in patients with poorly differentiated HCC than those with well or moderately differentiated HCC [1.33 ± 0.577 mo vs 11.12 ± 6.896 mo; P = 0.042; 95%CI: (-19.115)-(-0.468)].CONCLUSION: The risk of seeding after cryoablation for HCC is small. Direct puncture of subcapsular tumours should be avoided to minimise seeding.     

肝癌冷冻治疗的临床研究进展

对于不能手术切除的肝癌,无论是原发或是继发,冷冻治疗都是一种重要选择。冷冻治疗具有坏死彻底、适应性广、创伤小、可控性强等优点;冷冻消融后的瘤苗作用还能提高患者的抗肿瘤免疫力,冷冻导致的血管栓塞能阻止肿瘤通过血行转移;冷冻治疗不仅能用于治疗小肝癌,对大肝癌和邻近大血管的肝癌均适用。冷冻疗法可在手术中应用,也町经腹腔镜或经皮穿刺完成治疗过程;在超声或CT引导下,经皮氩氦刀冷冻消融对于小肝癌的治疗效果等同于外科手术.     

氩氦刀冷冻消融术治疗原发性肝癌发热原因分析

目的探讨氩氦刀冷冻消融术治疗原发性肝癌后患者出现的发热、并发感染及易感因素。方法回顾性分析338例接受氩氦刀冷冻消融术治疗的原发性肝癌患者的临床资料,分析术后发热和并发感染情况及易感因素。结果术后出现发热196例(57.99%),并发感染4例(1.18%)。出现发热与患者肿瘤大小、肿瘤毀损面积、肝功能、巴塞罗那临床肝癌分期及糖尿病等密切相关,并发感染与肿瘤毀损面积、术前白细胞水平及发热时间密切相关。结论发热是氩氦刀冷冻消融术治疗原发性肝癌的术后常见症状,肿瘤大、毁损面积大、Child-Pugh分级和术前白细胞水平低为发生发热的易感因素。患者术后并发感染率低,肿瘤毀损面积大、术前白细胞水平低及发热时间长等为发生感染的易感因素。     

经皮氩氦刀冷冻治疗肝细胞癌的安全性和疗效

肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC)居世界癌症死因第三位,在中国居第二位。手术切除率仅为20%～30%,因供体缺乏,肝移植术明显受限,因此多种局部消融术,如无水酒精、射频、激光、高强度聚集超声、微波和冷冻消融等在HCC治疗中发挥着重要作用。氩氦超导靶向手术系统(氩氦刀)冷冻治疗HCC是近年发展的一项局部消融术,尽管在中国经皮氩氦刀治疗HCC已有较多应用,但世界范围内对该技术尚存争议。与应用广泛的射频消融术及其他热消融技术相比,氩氦刀冷冻治疗有产生较大的毁损面积及更为清晰可辨的治疗区域等优势。本文对经皮氩氦刀冷冻治疗HCC的适应证、技术、患者管理、安全性及疗效进行评述。     

应用米兰标准微波消融治疗肝细胞癌患者预后及其影响因素分析*

目的 探讨应用米兰标准施行微波消融术(MWA)治疗肝细胞癌(HCC)患者影响生存的因素。方法 2013年1月～2016年12月我院消化内科住院的94例直径≤5 cm的HCC患者接受超声引导下MWA治疗,随访5年。分析不同HCC结节个数和不同肿瘤直径对总生存率(OS)和无进展生存率(PFS)的影响。结果 随访5年,本组HCC患者OS为64.9%,1 a和2 a 肿瘤复发率分别为12.8%和53.2%;HCC直径> 3 cm患者的PFS显著短于直径≤3 cm的患者(P=0.005),PFS≤2年的HCC患者OS显著低于PFS> 2年的患者(48.0%对 84.1%,P<0.001);多因素回归分析显示HCC直径> 3 cm (HR=0.42,95%CI:0.21～0.83,P=0.01)是MWA术后肿瘤复发的独立危险因素,而白细胞计数< 4.0×10⁹ /L (HR=0.38, 95%CI:0.18～0.84,P=0.017)和PFS≤2 年(HR=0.24, 95%CI:0.10～0.56,P=0.001)是影响HCC患者OS的独立危险因素。结论 直径> 3 cm的HCC患者PFS较短,但似乎不影响OS,因为大多数肝内复发的HCC患者仍然可进行重复MWA治疗。     

Outcomes of primary hepatocellular carcinoma treatment: an 8-year experience with 368 patients in Thailand

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is common in Thailand and its prognosis is extremely poor. Hepatic resection and liver transplantation are modes of curative therapy and various therapies have been developed to treat inoperable HCC. This study was performed to determine the outcome of therapy and to identify prognostic factors for survival among Thai patients with HCC. METHODS: Three hundred and sixty-eight patients with tissue-proven or serodiagnosed HCC were studied. Differences in laboratory investigations, patient survival, treatment outcomes and prognostic factors were analysed. The Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test were used to calculate and compare survival of patients receiving different therapies. RESULTS: Of the 368 patients 317 were males (86.1%, M: F ratio 6.2:1). The median age of all patients was 52 years range (2-85 years). Fifty-nine patients were specifically treated and 209 were conservatively treated. Among those tested, 70% had hepatitis B virus-related HCC. The overall median survival (range) after diagnosis and that of the treated and untreated patients were 5.6 (0-92.1), 9.0 (0-92.1) and 2.3 (0-25.9) months, respectively. More than 50% of the Okuda I patients survived beyond 30 months. The Okuda II and III patients had a median survival (range) of 5.7 (0.1-75.2) and 1.6 (0.1-25.9) months, respectively. Those patients treated by surgery, transcatheter oil chemoembolization and systemic chemotherapy had a better survival rate than did the conservatively managed patients. Surgery was found to be a better treatment than systemic chemotherapy. However, no differences between other pairs of treatment groups were identified. Subgroup analysis of the Okuda II group patients revealed the same results. Independent predictors of death were multiple lesions, advanced Okuda stage and treatment modality. CONCLUSION: Despite various kinds of therapy, the treatment outcomes for Thai HCC patients remain poor and largely depend on the disease extent and treatment received. Most Thai HCC patients are at an advanced stage at diagnosis. Thai patients who received disease-specific treatment other than intraarterial chemotherapy had a better survival rate than did supportive treatment patients.     

Treatment strategies for hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan

The main methods of treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in Japan are hepatic resection, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Meticulous follow up is then undertaken to check for recurrence, which is treated using repeated RFA or TACE. Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy has been introduced as treatment for advanced HCC, and the molecular‐targeted drug sorafenib is also now available. Rigorous medical care using these treatment methods and early diagnosis mean that the prognosis for HCC in Japan is the best in the world. This paper reviews the treatment strategies for HCC in Japan.     

超声引导下经皮微波消融治疗近胃肠道肝细胞癌的疗效评价

目的 评价经皮微波消融结合温度监测及无水乙醇注射治疗近胃肠道肝细胞癌的安全性及临床疗效.方法 对263例患者共计319个肿瘤进行经皮微波消融治疗,其中101个距胃肠道≤5 mm的肿瘤为近胃肠道组,218个距肝表面、胃肠道和肝内一、二级分支管道＞5 mm肿瘤为对照组.近胃肠道组对无手术切除史患者肿瘤边缘温度控制在最高54～60℃,对有手术切除史患者边缘温度控制在最高50℃,对该组62个病灶近胃肠道边缘肿瘤组织内注射无水乙醇治疗.用独立样本t检验进行两组间均值比较,用秩和检验进行非参数分析,用卡方检验进行率的比较,用KaplanMeier法绘制局部肿瘤进展曲线,用Log-Rank检验分析两组不同随访时间局部肿瘤进展率之间的差异.结果 近胃肠道组96个肿瘤(95.0%)及对照组208个肿瘤(95.4%)获得完全消融.所有肿瘤局部进展均发生在术后12个月内,近胃肠道组与对照组第6个月局部肿瘤进展率分别为6.9%、7.3%,第12个月分别为11.9%、8.3%.两组均无并发症发生,无胃肠道及胆道损伤发生.结论 在严格温度监测下,微波消融联合无水乙醇注射可以安全治疗邻近胃肠道肝细胞癌并取得较好的完全消融效果.

Abstract：

Objective The purpose of the study was to prospectively evaluate safety and assisted with ethanol injection for hepatocellular carcinoma abutting gastrointestinal tract.Methods 263 patients with 319 hepatic tumors that underwent percutaneous microwave ablation with curative intention were included.101 lesions located less than 5 mm from gastrointestinal tract were in gastrointestinal group.218 lesions located more than 5 mm from hepatic surface,gastrointestinal tract and first or second branch of hepatic vessels were in control group.The temperature of marginal ablation tissue proximal to gastrointestinal tract was monitored and controlled to fluctuating between 45℃ and 59C for more than 10 min for tumors in the gastrointestinal group.Ethanol (1-21 ml) was injected into marginal tissue in 62 of 101 lesions of the G1 group.Results 96 of 101 tumors (95.0%) in the gastrointestinal group and 208 of 218 tumors (95.4%) in the control group achieved complete ablation (P = 0.89).Local tumor progression for all the tumors were in the first year and the 6-,12- month local tumor progression rate in the gastrointestinal group and the control group were 6.9%,11.9% and 7.3%,8.3%,respectively (P=0.21).There were neither immediate nor periprocedural complications in both groups.There was no delayed complication of gastrointestinal and bile ducts injury.Tumor seeding happened in one (1.1%) of the gastrointestinal group and three (1.8%) of the control group (P=0.92).Conclusion Under strict temperature monitoring,microwave ablation assisted with ethanol injection is safe and achieves a high complete ablation rate for hepatocellular carcinoma adjacent to gastrointestinal tract.     

Outcomes of treatment with sorafenib in Egyptian patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study

Background: Sorafenib is the standard of care, first line treatment for advanced HCC. This study aims to evaluate real-life efficacy and safety of sorafenib in Egyptian patients with Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted in the medical oncology department at Maadi Armed Forces Medical Compound. Patients with advanced HCC who received sorafenib between January and December 2015 were included (130 patients).

Results: The median overall survival of patients with HCC treated with sorafenib was 5 months (CI: 4.166–5.834), and progression free survival was 4 months (CI: 3.479–4.521). Disease control rate was 45.44% with 2 patients experiencing complete remission (1.2%). The adverse events rate was 76.1% for toxicities of all grades; with hand and foot syndrome being the most common (32.3% of any grade) and liver dysfunction the most common grade III toxicity (13.8%). Treatment was stopped for radiological progression based on modified RECIST criteria in 47 patients (36.3%), 18 patients stopped the treatment for intolerable toxicity. At the end of treatment upon radiological progression, 51 patients (39.2%) were still classified as Child A class of cirrhosis.

Conclusion: Sorafenib use should be limited to patients with Child A, PS 0–1, and low disease burden.     

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma is an uncommon malignancy seen in young adults without underlying liver disease. Physical signs are minimal and laboratory values are noncontributory. Diagnosis is suggested by clinical history, supported by radiographic studies, and confirmed by histologic examination. Individuals with fibrolamellar carcinoma generally have a greater survival than those with hepatocellular carcinoma. Although most patients with fibrolamellar carcinoma undergo curative surgery, two of the three patients we report had inoperable tumors.     

Imaging of hepatocellular carcinoma

Recent improvements in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have resulted in a need to identify the disease at an early stage. The wide range of imaging techniques available reflects the difficulty in demonstrating small HCC, particularly in the cirrhotic liver. This article reviews the current imaging techniques available for the diagnosis of HCC.     

Multimodality treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract By 1996, 2898 patients with pathologically proven hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had been treated at the Liver Cancer Institute of Shanghai Medical University. The 5 year survival in the entire series was 36.2%, being increased from 4.8% in 1958–70, 12.2% in 1971–83, to 50.5% in 1984–96 and 274 patients had survived more than 5 years. The increase in the survival rate could be attributed to the decreasing mean tumour diameter (11.7, 10.5 and 9.5 cm, respectively) and multimodality treatment. In addition to small HCC resection (5 year survival 64.9%, n = 735) and large HCC resection (5 year survival 37.4%, n = 1050), the following deserves to be mentioned. First, the 5 year survival of unresectable HCC treated by palliative surgery increased from 0% to 7.2% to 20.0%, which was related to the increase in use of multimodality treatment, particularly in those followed by second-stage resection. Second, cytoreduction and sequential resection is a new field with a significant potential in the treatment of localized unresectable HCC in a cirrhotic liver. Cytoreduction can be achieved by surgery, such as hepatic artery ligation, cannulation, cryosurgery and their combination, and followed by intrahepatic arterial chemoembolization, targeting therapy or regional radiotherapy. Ninety of 647 patients with unresectable HCC so treated had marked shrinkage of tumour and received second-stage resection; the 5 year survival was 71.4%. Third, non-surgical cytoreduction was mainly achieved by transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE); for 70 patients with second-stage resection following TACE, the 5 year survival was 56.0%. Finally, re-resection of subclinical recurrence of tumour after curative HCC resection was performed in 155 patients; the 5 year survival calculated from the first resection was 50.9%, which played an important role in increasing the 5 year survival in the resection group (from 13.0% to 29.5% to 56.2%). It is concluded that multimodality treatment with combined and sequential use of different modalities and repeated use of some modalities is of substantial benefit for localized unresectable HCC.     

Targeted therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma: present and future

Following the encouraging results of sorafenib in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), targeted therapy has become a new direction of research in the treatment of HCC. Emerging data provide evidence that the pathogenesis and progression of HCC are mediated by a number of molecular defects and dysregulated pathways. Novel targeted therapies are designed to inhibit the aberrant pathways at a molecular level with an aim to improve the clinical outcome. For the past few years, an increasing number of targeted agents have been tested in HCC in the clinical setting. This review aims to summarize the current status of clinical development of targeted therapy in HCC, with focus on novel agents targeting angiogenesis, signal transduction and epigenetic dysregulation of tumors. The review also discusses the lessons learned from outcomes of completed clinical trials and provides perspectives on future clinical trials in HCC.     

Management of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma:Implications for therapy

AIM:To assess the treatment and tumor-related variables associated with outcome after treatment of spontaneously ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).METHODS: Patients with ruptured HCC were identif ied. The complications, mortality and survival were assessed. The relationship between tumor size and the severity of hemoperitoneum and between tumor size and grade were examined.RESULTS: From January 1993 to January 2008, 556 patients with HCC with or without cirrhosis were evaluated; of which, 16 (2.87%) p...