Objective To investigate the value of α-fetoprotein (AFP) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for predicting the prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods Clinical data of patients with HCC who underwent TACE treatment in Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital from January 2005 to December 2007 were retrospectively evaluated. The AFP levels before TACE and one month after TACE were determined, and patients were divided into three groups accordingly as major AFP response group (major group), minor AFP response group (minor group), and no AFP response (no group) group. Overall survival (OS) and disease control rates (DCR) after TACE were compared among different AFP response groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed.
Results Among 338 patients, 113, 41, and 184 patients were allocated to significantly declined, slightly declined and no decline group, respectively. The median OS (months) and DCR (%) were 16.0 and 56.2 (major group), 8.0 and 37.5 (minor group), and 6.0 and 29.9 (no group), respectively. Patients in major group had a significantly better DCR and prognosis (P < 0.001). Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that AFP response was an independent predictor for long-term survival (P < 0.001).
Conclusions The AFP response to treatment can be used as a clinical index for the prognosis prediction of patients with HCC after TACE treatment.
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