ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is lack of data for identifying optimal local therapy for the management of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatic resection. AIMS: A retrospective study was performed to compare the effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with that of TACE alone for recurrent HCC. METHODS: From 2007 to 2013, patients with recurrent HCC ≤ 5 cm were treated with either TACE plus RFA (n = 96) or TACE (n = 63). Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to make allowances for imbalances in treatment assignment. The disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The TACE group had lower pretreatment Child-Pugh class (P = 0.025) and shorter pretreatment interval of recurrence (P = 0.028). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year DFS rates for the TACE-RFA group were 55.1%, 22.5%, and 9.7%, respectively, and 41.1%, 9.9%, and 4.9%, respectively, for the TACE group. The OS rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 82.3%, 42.7%, and 16.5%, respectively, in the TACE-RFA group, and 75.9%, 30.7%, and 11.3%, respectively, in the TACE group. Cirrhosis was significantly associated with disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] 1.53; 95% CI 1.09-2.14; P = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with recurrent HCC ≤ 5 cm, TACE-RFA shows better DFS than TACE alone as a first-line local therapy.
