Survival, Efficacy, and Safety of Small Versus Large Doxorubicin Drug-Eluting Beads TACE Chemoembolization in Patients With Unresectable HCC

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to investigate the overall survival, efficacy, and safety of small (100–300 µm) versus large (300–500 and 500–700 µm) doxorubicin drug-eluting beads transarterial chemoembolization (DEB TACE) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS. Ninety-four consecutive patients with unresectable HCC who underwent 269 DEB TACE procedures in 48 months were studied. DEB TACE procedures were performed using different DEB sizes: 100–300 µm (Group A, 59 patients) and with mixed 300–500 and 500–700 µm DEB (Group B, 35 patients). Survival rates were compared between the groups. RESULTS. The overall median survival in groups A and B were 15.1 and 11.1 months, respectively (p = 0.005). Both groups were similar in demographics, tumor burden, and differential staging (p > 0.5). Substratification of overall survival according to Child-Pugh class and Okuda, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP), and Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging...