Systemic Chemotherapy Versus Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization(TACE) for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eligible patients were age 18 to 75 years;
• The patients had histologically, cytologically,or clinically diagnosed unresectable HCC;and were ineligible for local invasive treatment. Clinically diagnosed patients had to have: (1) evidence of HBV or HCV with hepatic cirrhosis; (2) a-fetoprotein levels 400g/L; and (3) morphologic evidence of hypervascular liver tumor. Patients had to have at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST (version 1.0; ≥2 cm on computed tomography [CT]; 1 cm on spiral CT or magnetic resonance imaging). Lesions that had undergone previous interventional or local therapy were not considered measurable lesions.
• ECOG score≤2;
• life expectancy 3 months;
• Barcelona Clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage B or C disease;
• Child-Pugh stage A or B disease;
• Adequate organ and marrow function, with neutrophil count≥1.5X10e9/L, platelet count≥75×10e9/L, AST or ALT﹤2.5×upper limit of normal (ULN), total bilirubin <1.5×ULN, international normalized ratio <1.5;normal baseline left ventricular ejection fraction_lower limit of normal for the institution. Patients with AST and ALT<5 ×ULN could be recruited if total bilirubin was in the normal range.
• Patients had to provide signed informed consent to participate.

Exclusion Criteria:

• documented allergy to lipoidal or other study drugs; any previous treatment before random assignment;
• Previous liver transplantation;
• concomitant use of any other anticancer therapy, including interferon alfa and herbal medicine approved by the local authority to be used as anticancer medicine (except palliative radiotherapy to a nontarget lesion);
• CNS metastasis;
• Other serious illness or medical condition.