Effectiveness of Porous Glass Membrane Pumping Emulsification Device in Transarterial Chemoembolization for Solitary Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Abstract

Background/Aim: A porous glass membrane-pumping emulsification device (GMD) enables the formation of a high-percentage water-in-oil emulsion with homogeneous and stable droplets. Although GMD is expected to improve the locoregional therapeutic effects of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its effectiveness in the management of solitary HCC remains unclear. Patients and Methods: Patients treated for solitary HCCs (<5 cm) were retrospectively reviewed. A total of 46 patients who could not undergo liver resection and were unsuitable for radiofrequency ablation were included in this study. Among these, 22 patients underwent TACE using a GMD (GMD-TACE group) and 24 underwent stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) using a robotic radiosurgery system (SBRT group). Local control rates were compared between the two groups. Results: The median HCC tumour size was 24 mm (range=12-50 mm) and 22 mm (range=8-39 mm) in the GMD-TACE and SBRT groups, respectively; however, the difference between the groups was not significant. Age, liver function test results, or Child-Pugh scores were not significantly different between the two groups. The rate of local control at 6 months after treatment was 100% in both groups. Although the 1-year local control rate was higher in the SBRT group (92.3%) than in the GMD-TACE group (81.8%), there was no significant difference in the log-rank test (p=0.654). No major treatment-related complications occurred in either group during the observation period. Conclusion: TACE with GMD could be considered an effective treatment option for the management of solitary HCC.