Table 4.
Available studies on the transarterial chemoembolization plus microwave ablation
|
Ref.
|
Treatment type, n (%)
|
Clinical scenario
|
Response rate (CR + PR) mRECIST
|
Outcome
|
| Ni et al[59], 2020 | TACE + MWA (546) | BCLC B | N/A | Median PFS: 6.5 mo. Median OS: 35 mo |
| Ni et al[121], 2019 | TACE + MWA (349) | Up to 3 nodules, 5-8 cm diameter | 77.1% | Median PFS: 4.8 mo. Median OS: 28 mo |
| Chen et al[47], 2017 | TACE (96) vs TACE + MWA (48) | HCC ≤ 5 cm | 46.3% vs 92.1% | 2-yr PFS: 57.3% vs 10.4%; 2-yr OS: NS |
| Smolock et al[56], 2018 | TACE (16) vs TACE + MWA (22) | HCC 3-5 cm | 76% vs 95% (NS) | Median PFS: 4.2 mo vs 22.3 mo. Median OS: 14.8 mo vs 18.5 mo. 3-yr OS: 42.1% vs 79% |
| Zheng et al[57], 2018 | TACE (166) vs TACE + MWA (92) | Solitary HCC > 5 cm; 2-3 nodules > 3 cm; 4-10 nodules regardless of size | 55.4% vs 81.5% | Median PFS: 12.5 mo vs 26.6 mo. Median OS: 6.7 mo vs 17.1 mo. 3-yr OS: 11.4% vs 32.6% |
| Zhang et al[60], 2018 | TACE (100) vs TACE + MWA (50) | BCLC-B | 55% vs 74%. At 6-mo, including stable disease | Median PFS: 6.1 mo vs 10.1 mo. Median OS: 14.4 mo vs 18.5 mo. 3-yr OS: 42.1% vs 79%. 5-yr OS: 21% vs 67.7% |
| Wang et al[61], 2020 | TACE (111) vs TACE + MWA (72) | Recurrent (post-surgery) BCLC-B | N/A | Median PFS: N/A. Median OS: 14.4 mo vs 26.7 mo. 5-yr PFS: 13.0% vs 21.7%. 5-yr OS: 27.9% vs 43.3% |
| Li et al[29], 2020 | MWA (88) vs TACE + MWA (62) | BCLC-B | N/A | 3-yr PFS: 34.5% vs 32.5% (NS). 3-yr OS: 47.6% vs 49.2% (NS) |
| Biederman et al[55], 2017 | TACE + MWA (80) vs Radiation segmentectomy (41) | Unresectable, solitary, ≤ 3 cm | CR 82.5% vs 82.9% (NS) | Median PFS: 12.1 mo vs 11.1 mo (NS). 90-d mortality: 0% all groups. Median OS: N/A |
| Ni et al[59], 2020 | TACE + Sorafenib (n = 75) vs TACE + Sorafenib + MWA (77) | BCLC C | 12% vs 46.7% | Median PFS: 3 mo vs 6 mo. Median OS: 13 mo vs 19 mo |
| Sheta et al[64], 2016 | TACE (20) vs TACE + RFA (20) vs TACE + MWA (10) | Unrsesectable, solitary | 6-mo CR–50% vs 70% vs 80% | Median PFS: N/A. Median OS: N/A |
| Wei et al[63], 2020 | TACE + MWA (48) vs TACE + Cryoablation (60) | BCLC B | 73.3% vs 33.4% | Median PFS: 8.8 mo vs 9.3 mo (NS). Median OS: 20.9 vs 13 mo (NS) |
TACE: Transarterial chemoembolization; MWA: Microwave ablation; RFA: Radiofrequency ablation; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; BCLC: Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer classification system; CR: Complete response; PR: Partial response according to the mRECIST criteria; PFS: Progression-free survival; OS: Overall survival; NS: Non-significant; N/A: Not available.