THERAPEUTIC RESULTS OF RESECTION, TRANSCATHETER ARTERIAL EMBOLIZATIONAND PERCUTANEOUS TRANSHEPATIC ETHANOL INJECTION IN 3225 PATIENTS WITHHEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA - A RETROSPECTIVE MULTICENTER STUDY

The outcome in 3225 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was s tudied in groups with equivalent prognosis treated with resection, tra nscatheter arterial embolization (TAE), and percutaneous transhepatic ethanol injection (PEI), Significant factors for better clinical backg round included a tumor diameter of less than or equal to 30 mm, tumor number less than or equal to 3 and (clinical) Stage I, In patients wit h Stage I disease having tumors of less than or equal to 30 mm and les s than or equal to 3 in number, survival after resection and PEI did n ot differ, while survival after TAE was significantly worse, In those patients with Stage II disease, survival after PEI was significantly b etter than after resection or TAE, In patients with Stage I or II dise ase having tumors greater than or equal to 31 in size and less than or equal to 3 in number, survival after resection was significantly bett er than after TAE, In patients with Stage I disease having tumors of g reater than or equal to 31 mm and greater than or equal to 4 in number , survival after resection was significantly better than after TAE, Ou r conclusions are as follows, Firstly, resection or PEI is recommended for patients with Stage I disease having less than or equal to 3 tumo rs all less than or equal to 30 mm in size, Secondly, PEI is recommend ed for patients with Stage II disease having less than or equal to 3 t umors all less than or equal to 30 mm in size, Thirdly, for patients w ith Stage I disease having tumors 31 mm or larger in size, whatever th e number of tumors, resection should be selected rather than TAE.