Carboplatin as an anticancer agent for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a conservative treatment in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, 30 patients with unresectable HCC underwent TACE using carboplatin (300 mg), and their clinical results were evaluated. After TACE, 18 (60.0%) of 30 patients demonstrated tumor size reduction rates > or = 50%. Of 23 patients with pretreatment serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels >20 ng/ml (cutoff), 14 (60.9%) showed AFP reduction > or = 75%. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year survival rates were 82.9, 68.1, 45.1 and 37.6%, respectively. The median survival was 2.3 years. The only notable adverse reaction accompanying TACE was a transient myelosuppression. Carboplatin is thought to be a useful anticancer agent in patients with HCC treated with TACE.