The degree of hepatic arterial blood supply of portal vein tumor thrombus in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and its impact on overall survival after transarterial chemoembolization

PURPOSE: To investigate the degree of arterial blood supply of portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to evaluate its impact on overall survival after transarterial chemoembolization using lipiodol +/– gelatin sponge particles (TACE). RESULTS: Of the 10 patients who underwent surgery, the number of patients with good/mild/poor staining of PVTT by methylene blue were 3, 4, and 3, respectively. The degrees of methylene blue staining in these patients correlated well with the degrees of accumulation of lipiodol in PVTT in these patients, i.e. good/mild/poor in 3, 4, and 3 patients, respectively. For the 77 patients who underwent TACE as treatment, they were divided into 2 groups: good accumulation of lipiodol (n = 27) and mild/poor accumulation of lipiodol (n = 50) on CT. The overall median survival between the 2 groups was 10.0 months vs 2.7 months, (p < 0.001). Multi-variable analysis showed degree accumulation of Lipiodol (OR, 2.057; 95% CI,1.414–2.993; p < 0.001) to be an independent prognostic factor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with HCC with PVTT who underwent surgical resection received preoperative TACE. At operation, arterial injection of methylene blue into the common hepatic artery was carried out. During the study period, other patients with unresectable HCC with PVTT were treated with TACE. CONCLUSION: In about 1/3 of patients with HCC with PVTT, the arterial blood supply from the hepatic artery to the PVTT was good. These patients responded better to TACE than those patients with mild/poor arterial supply.