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Review
. 2024 Mar 14;41(1):48-55.
doi: 10.1055/s-0044-1779714. eCollection 2024 Feb.

Practical Considerations When Choosing Chemoembolization versus Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Ashkan Heshmatzadeh Behzadi  1 , Leila Haghani  2 , Donna L D'Souza  1 , Siobhan Flanagan  1 , Christopher Jones  1
Affiliations
Review

Practical Considerations When Choosing Chemoembolization versus Radioembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Ashkan Heshmatzadeh Behzadi et al. Semin Intervent Radiol. .

Abstract

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE) are common liver-directed therapies (LDTs) for unresectable HCC. While both deliver intra-arterial treatment directly to the site of the tumor, they differ in mechanisms of action and side effects. Several studies have compared their side effect profile, time to progression, and overall survival data, but often these lack practical considerations when choosing which treatment modality to use. Many factors can impact operator's choice for treatment, and the choice depends on treatment availability, cost, insurance coverage, operator's comfort level, patient-specific factors, tumor location, tumor biology, and disease stage. This review discusses survival data, time to progression data, as well as more practical patient and tumor characteristics for personalized LDT with TACE or TARE.

Keywords: chemoembolization; hepatocellular carcinoma; interventional radiology; liver-directed therapy; radioembolization.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest relevant to the material presented herein.

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