Prospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015.
World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2015; 21(19): 6018-6025
Published online May 21, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i19.6018
Table 1 Eligibility criteria for treatment with trans-arterial chemoembolization
HCC
Cytohistologically confirmed
Unresectable (technical reasons, comorbidities, refusal of treatment)
Adequate liver function level
Child-Pugh class (A) or (B)
Bilirubin ≤ 2.4 mg/dL
Absence of ascites
BCLC intermediate stage (B)
N1 tumor nodule → diameter > 3.0 cm
Max N3 tumor nodules → diameter ≤ 3.0 cm
ECOG performance status of 0 to 2
TACE: Trans-arterial chemoembolization; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer; ECOG: European Cooperative Oncology Group.
Table 2 Base clinical characteristics of 71 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma
Age (yr)174 (47-87)
Sex (M/F)42/29
Etiology (HCV/HBV/alcoholic/NASH)52/8/7/4
Child-Pugh grade (A/B)45/26
Serum AFP (ng/mL)179 (2-5967)
Serum bilirubin (mg/dL)11.7 (0.2-2.5)
Serum AST (IU/L)153 (18-201)
Serum ALT (IU/L)136.4 (8-187)
1Data are expressed as median values (range). HCV: Hepatitis C virus; HBV: Hepatitis B virus; NASH: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; AFP: Alpha-fetoprotein; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; IU: International unit.
Table 3 Serum vascular endothelial growth factor and tryptase levels in 71 patients with hepatocellular cancer measured 1 d prior and subsequent to treatment with trans-arterial chemoembolization
Sample collectiontimenMean concentrations of serum VEGF ± SD(pg/mL)Mean concentrations of serum tryptase ± SD (μg/L)
24 h before TACE71114.31 ± 79.588.13 ± 3.61
24 h after TACE71238.14 ± 109.414.02 ± 3.03
P value< 0.000231< 0.00124
VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; TACE: Trans-arterial chemoembolization; SD: Standard deviation.