The prognosis of 40 patients with one to three angiographically hypervascular
hepatocellular carcinoma smaller than 3 cm in diameter treated with either percutaneous
acetic acid injection (25 patients) or transcatheter arterial embolization (15 patients) during the past 4.5 yr were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS: After initial
therapy, none of 25 patients treated with percutaneous
acetic acid injection developed
ascites, whereas 5 of 15 (33%) patients treated with transcatheter arterial embolization developed it (p < 0.01). All
tumors became smaller once after each
therapy. However, local recurrence (reenlargement of the original
tumor) occurred in 1 of 29 (3%)
tumors treated with percutaneous
acetic acid injection and 11 of 22 (50%)
tumors treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (p < 0.005). During the follow-up, 4 of 25 (16%) patients treated with percutaneous
acetic acid injection and 10 of 15 (67%) patients treated with transcatheter arterial embolization died. The 1-, 2-, and 3-yr survival rate was 100, 94, and 83%, respectively, in patients treated with percutaneous
acetic acid injection and 72, 65, and 39% in patients treated with transcatheter arterial embolization (p < 0.005). The
cancer-free survival rate was also significantly better in the former than in the latter group (p < 0.005).
CONCLUSIONS: