Efficacy and safety of Yttrium-90 radioembolization in the treatment of neuroendocrine liver metastases. Long-term monitoring and impact on survival. / Eficacia y seguridad de la radioembolización con 90Y en el tratamiento de metástasis hepáticas de tumores neuroendocrinos. Seguimiento a largo plazo y repercusión en la supervivencia.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) debut in 75% of cases with liver metastases (LMNETs), whose therapeutic approach includes surgical resection and liver transplantation, while liver radioembolization with 90 Y-microspheres (TARE) is reserved for non-operable patients usually due to high tumor burden. We present the accumulated experience of 10 years in TARE treatment of LMNETs in order to describe the safety and the effectiveness of the oncological response in terms of survival, as well as to detect the prognostic factors involved. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Of 136 TARE procedures, performed between January 2006 and December 2016, 30 LMNETs (11.1%) were retrospectively analyzed. The study variables were: Tumor response, time to liver progression, survival at 3 and 5 years, overall mortality and mortality associated with TARE. The radiological response assessment was assessed using RECIST 1.1 and mRECIST criteria. RESULTS: An average activity of 2.4 ± 1.3 GBq of 90 Y was administered. No patient presented postembolization syndrome or carcinoid syndrome. There were also no vascular complications associated with the procedure. According to RECIST 1.1 criteria at 6 months, 78.6% presented partial response and 21.4% stable disease, there was no progression or complete response (1 by mRECIST). Survival at 3 and 5 years was 73% in both cases. CONCLUSION: TARE treatment with 90 Y-microspheres in LMNETs, applied within a multidisciplinary approach, is a safe procedure, with low morbidity, capable of achieving a high rate of radiological response and achieving lasting tumor responses.

Tumoral response factors after radiofrequency ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic liver.

OBJECTIVE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ablation by radiofrequency (RFA) is a novel technique with a great variety of methods whose efficacy and predictive factors have not been completely studied. Some of the main predictive factors in this type of treatment are analyzed in the present study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients with hepatocellular carcinoma over cirrhosis, and with no indication for surgical resection were treated by RFA. Two different types of electrodes were used for RFA (refrigerated-"Cool-Tip" and perfusion with saline solution, the approach was percutaneous, by laparoscopy or laparotomy. RESULTS: Overall survival at 1, 2 and 3 years was 88, 81, and 76%, with a free-disease survival (FDS) of 66, 31 and 17%, respectively. For tumors less than 3 cm, FDS at 1,2 and 3 years was 74, 44 and 30%, while for more than 3 cm in size FDS was 55, 12 and 0% (p = 0.02). FDS for HCC with one nodule was 70, 36 and 22%, and for more than one nodule it decreased to 50, 17 and 0% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively (p = 0.07). Surprisingly, the method employed for RFA has a main influence in FDS, with 0% at 3 years for perfusion electrodes and 26% for cool-tip electrodes at the same period. CONCLUSIONS: In this series, overall survival at three years was relatively high; however, tumoral size, number of nodules and RFS method were independent variables associated with disease-free survival.