transarterial chemoembolization is a locoregional therapeutic delivery and embolization strategy used mainly for hepatocellular carcinoma and borderline resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, especially in intermediate-stage disease. It works by delivering chemotherapy with arterial embolization to restrict tumor blood supply, and its efficacy can be limited by tumor hypoxia and acidosis in the microenvironment. Recent work highlights a hydrogen-generating enhancement that augments immunogenic transarterial chemoembolization, including epirubicin-iodized oil embolization in hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinically, it is being evaluated as adjuvant therapy and in combination regimens, including with tyrosine kinase inhibitors and perioperative targeted immunotherapy, to improve outcomes over monotherapy. Overall, the literature supports transarterial chemoembolization as a key liver-directed platform whose benefit may be increased by combination strategies and microenvironment-modifying approaches.
Hepatocellular carcinoma
- transarterial chemoembolization is used as a liver-directed therapy for intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma and is often combined with other treatments to improve outcomes. (PMID:42007976)
- The platform is described as a locoregional treatment enhanced by hydrogen generation and epirubicin-iodized oil embolization in hepatocellular carcinoma. (PMID:41655909)
- Its therapeutic effect is constrained by hypoxia and acidosis in the tumor microenvironment, motivating hydrogen-generating enhancement strategies. (PMID:41655909)
- Combining transarterial chemoembolization with tyrosine kinase inhibitors improved ORR and PFS versus transarterial chemoembolization alone. (PMID:42007976)
Borderline resectable hepatocellular carcinoma
- Adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization was used in patients with borderline resectable hepatocellular carcinoma. (PMID:42015536)
- Perioperative targeted immunotherapy plus adjuvant transarterial chemoembolization was compared against transarterial chemoembolization alone. (PMID:42015536)
- The study reported improved survival with the combined perioperative targeted immunotherapy and transarterial chemoembolization approach. (PMID:42015536)