Usefulness of prophylactic transcatheter arterial infusion of anticancer agents with lipiodol to prevent recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatic resection.

To improve the prognosis after hepatectomy for HCC, repeated postoperative transcatheter arterial infusions of anticancer drugs and lipiodol (TAI) were given. TAI may be effective as an adjuvant therapy for prevention of residual liver recurrence after hepatectomy, probably by suppression of the development of intrahepatic micrometastases rather than of multicentric carcinogenesis.