RETRACTED: Clinical significance of the best response during repeated transarterial chemoembolization in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (Retracted article. See vol. 62, pg. 252, 2015)

Background & Aims: We assessed the clinical implications of the best response compared with the initial response during repeated transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: We evaluated 332 patients with intermediate-stage HCC and preserved liver function initially treated with repeated TACE. All had >= 1 lesion measuring >= 1 cm, and the response measured after each session was based on EASL and mRECIST criteria. We performed survival analyses according to response kinetics, and identified clinical factors associated with the need for repeated TACE to achieve the best response. Results: An objective response, either a complete response (CR) or a partial response (PR), after the first TACE was seen in about 50% of patients by both EASL and mRECIST. In terms of the best response during serial TACE, 250 patients (75.3%) by EASL and 278 (83.7%) by mRECIST were overall responders. The sizes of the largest and second largest tumors were the only parameters positively correlated with the number of TACE sessions required to achieve the best response (p <0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that achieving a CR or PR as the best response was the best predictor of survival following TACE with a hazard ratio of 0.45 by EASL and 0.24 by mRECIST, and more than 0.69 and 0.71, respectively for initial responders (p <0.05). Conclusions: The best response observed during serial TACE, rather than the initial response, most strongly predicts the survival of patients with intermediate-stage HCC. The number of TACE sessions needed to achieve a best response is a function of tumor size. (C) 2014 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.