Influence of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization on patients′ perioperative safety and short-term prognosis after liver transplantation

Objective To explore the influence of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization on short-term prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation Methods From Jan 2006 to Sep 2016 in Ruijin Hospital 21 patients received preoperative hepatic transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) before liver transplantation, the other 30 patients undergoing upfront liver transplantation served as control group. Results No statistical difference was found in the total operation time (401±72)min vs. (377±100) min, blood loss (2 785±25 56) ml vs. (4 199±3 748) ml and length of hospital stay (32±16) d vs. (28±17) d between two groups, and the occurrence rate of vascular complications (14.3% vs. 0) or biliary complications (9.5% vs. 6.7%) also showed no difference (P>0.05). Although more patients were diagnosed with postoperative infection in the observation group (81% vs. 40%) (P 0.05). There′s no remarkable difference in the liver function recovery level between two groups in terms of postoperative indexs of liver function such as TBL, ALT, AST, and there was also no statistical difference between two groups in 1-year, 2-year and 3-year overall survival (P>0.05). The waiting time in the study group was significantly longer than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the incidence of postoperative immune dysfunction was lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Preoperative TACE does not affect liver function recovery and perioperative safety after liver transplantation. Key words: Liver transplantation; Antineoplastic combined chemotherapy protocals; Prognosis