Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) compared with TACE alone, in the treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CANCERLIT, CBM, CNKI and VIP were searched electronically. Relevant journals and conference proceedings were also handsearched. The quality of included studies was assessed according to the criteria recommended by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, and meta-analyses were performed for homogeneous studies using The Cochrane Collaboration’s RevMan 4.2.10 software. Subgroup analyses by frequency of TACE (lt;3 or ≥3 times) were also performed. Results Thirty seven trials, all published in China, involving 2 653 participants were included. The quality of 2 studies was graded B (medium) and that of the other 35 was graded C (low). Meta-analyses showed that TCM plus TACE, compared with TACE alone, could significantly improve survival, tumor response (complete and partial), quality of life and clinical symptoms, and was also associated with a lower incidence of adverse reactions. Subgroup analyses indicated that, patients with less than three TACE had more significant improvement in survival and clinical symptoms, while patients with three or more TACE had more significant improvement in tumor response and quality of life. The incidence of adverse reactions was similar between these two different frequencies of TACE. Conclusions The treatment regimen of TCM plus TACE is superior to TACE alone in patients with unresectable HCC. As the existing data have a high risk of bias, the current evidence is insufficient to define the efficacy of the combination treatment, and further large-scale, high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed.
ObjectiveTo summarize the experience of combined treatment of conventional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (cTACE) and drug-eluting-bead chemoembolization(D-TACE) in a case of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic metastasis.MethodsA patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma who was admitted to The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University in October 2018 was treated with TACE for three times.ResultsAfter MDT discussion, three interventional operations were performed on this patient in The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. CT examination after the first treatment with cTACE showed that lipiodol deposited in liver lesions and the lesions were more stable than before; after the second treatment with cTACE and D-TACE, CT examination showed more lipiodol deposited in the tumors, and the tumors were more limited and significantly reduced; after the third treatment with cTACE, CT examination showed that the tumors were effectively controlled and no progress was made. This patient was followed-up for 2 months after the fourth cTACE, tumors were effectively controlled and no progress occurred.ConclusionsIn advanced hepatocellular carcinoma with intrahepatic metastasis, TACE is the best treatment. Combination of D-TACE and cTACE can achieve better clinical efficacy.