Chemoembolization and bland embolization: a critical appraisal.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and most patients are not candidates for potentially curative treatment. Bland and chemoembolization are palliative options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that have been evaluated in controlled trials. Chemoembolization and perhaps bland embolization used as primary treatment for HCC in selected patients are effective at prolonging survival. The role of these therapies before surgical resection, liver transplantation, or in combination with local ablative therapy is controversial and yet unproven.