Analysis of therapeutic effectiveness and prognostic factor on argon-helium cryoablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness on argon-helium cryoablation combined with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in treating advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its influence factor. Materials and Methods: This trial was approved by the Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital Ethics Committee. This was a prospective, single-center study conducted in Guangzhou Panyu Central Hospital. After informed consent was obtained, the prospective randomized clinical data of 120 patients with advanced HCC were collected. Based on the therapeutic scheme, the patients were divided into control group (TACE + argon-helium cryoablation) and observed group (TACE group). All the patients were followed up for 60 months. The pre-and post-operative cancer situation, hepatic function situation, complete remission (CR) rate, total effective rate, and survival time were evaluated. The short-term and long-term effectiveness were compared between the two groups. Results: Both the CR rate and total effective rate of the combination group were significantly higher than those of TACE group (P < 0.05). Liver function damage of the combination group was lower than those of TACE group. The survival rate of the combination group was significantly longer than that of TACE group P < 0.05). The Cox regression model revealed that ages, tumor diameter, tumor periportal location, and liver function (Child-Pugh) were significant variables influencing survival time P < 0.05). Conclusion: For the treatment of advanced HCC, argon-helium cryoablation combined with TACE is obviously effective and safe. The ages, tumor diameter, tumor periportal location, and grade of liver function (Child-Pugh) have obvious impacted the treatment effectiveness.