Efficiency of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting microspheres in the treatment of metastatic and primary liver tumors

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is coming into use in the treatment of liver tumors, with drug-eluting microspheres as one of the technique variations. However, at the moment there are no systematic studies that would answer the questions: what is the role of the method in the treatment regimen for patients with primary and metastatic liver tumor and at what stage should it be used? Aim: to evaluate the effectiveness of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting microspheres for the treatment of metastatic and primary malignant liver tumors at different stages of the disease. Methods: We performed а retrospective observational uncontrolled study of 65 patients with liver metastases (Group 1), and 10 patients with primary malignant liver tumors (Group 2), who underwent 102 operations of transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting microspheres. To plan transarterial chemoembolization and evaluate its effectiveness, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were used every 8-9 weeks during the treatment. Results: After two transarterial chemoembolization controls, Group 1 included 51 responders (79%) and 14 non-responders (21%). Among the responders by the 16th week there was a decrease in the volume of the tumor mass in the liver from 12.4 [4.7; 24.6] to 5.2 cm3 [2; 15.5] for colorectal cancer, from 26 [18; 35] to 19 cm3 [13; 25] for neuroendocrine cancer, from 12 [4; 20] to 4 cm3 [0.6; 9] for adenocarcinomas of different localizations. There was no progression in Group 2, while, by week 16, there was a decrease in the tumor volume from 142 [51; 206] to 68 cm3 [23; 185] for hepatocellular carcinoma, from 465 [330; 600] to 187 cm3 [137;237] for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. With repeated transarterial chemoembolization, a decrease in the volume of the tumor mass was also noted, while the time without progression decreased from 303 [170; 369] to 180 [105; 225] days in Group 1, from 266 [200; 367] to 120 [62; 215] days in Group 2. Conclusions: Transarterial chemoembolization with drug-eluting microspheres is an effective treatment for primary and metastatic liver tumors. It should be considered as a palliative therapy, which allows achieving a good antitumor response at different stages of cancer.