Background/aims: We developed a method to suspend cisplatin in lipiodol (lipiodol-cisplatin suspension) for treating hapatocellular carcinoma. We evaluated the results of the long-term follow-up of lipiodol-cisplatin suspension therapy and the augmentation of its anti-cancer effect when in combination with transcatheter arterial embolization.
Methodology: Hepatic arterial injection chemotherapy with lipiodol-cisplatin suspension was performed in 239 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma without distant metastases. One hundred and forty-three patients treated with lipiodol-cisplatin suspension alone were clinically compared to 96 patients treated with lipiodol-cisplatin suspension and transcatheter arterial embolization.
Results: Complete and partial responses were obtained in 83 cases (53.2%) in the lipiodol-cisplatin suspension alone group compared to 60 cases (62.5%) in the lipiodol-cisplatin suspension and transcatheter arterial embolization group. The survival rate of the former was 29.6% at 5 years, and of the latter was 24.2% at 5 years. The difference in survival rates between the two groups was not significant, however, in both groups excellent anti-cancer effects and prolongation of survival were seen compared to previous transcatheter arterial embolization methods.
Conclusions: Lipiodol-cisplatin suspension therapy has an excellent anti-cancer effect superior to previous transcatheter arterial embolization methods and prolongs the survival rate for the patients with hapatocellular carcinoma.