Chemo-embolization of inoperable hepatocellular cancer. A surgical-radiologic therapy concept

The dual blood supply of the liver allows embolization therapy of malignant liver tumors nearly complete supplied by arterial vessels. The last three years we treated 25 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma by transcatheter arterial chemotherapy using iodized oil and anticancer agents suspension. The survival rate of untreated patients ranges between 1.6 and 2.5 months. Five patients died within two weeks to 9.7 months following embolization. Twenty of these patients are alive with survival rates of 1 to 22.9 months following the procedure. Because of the low procedural morbidity, transcatheter embolization is superior to surgical dearterialization or systemic chemotherapy.