Clinical value of circulating tumor cells for the prognosis of postoperative transarterial chemoembolization therapy.

The aim of this study was to clarify circulating tumor cells (CTCs) count could reflect the effect of postoperative transarterial chemoembolization therapy. A single-blind, two-parallel group, randomized trial was conducted in Guangdong General Hospital, Guangzhou, China, with patients: (1) with biopsy-confirmed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and (2) undergoing partial resection. Patients in transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) group received TACE 1 month after resection, while control group received no managements. The time points for blood collection to count CTCs were as follows: (1) 1 month after resection (also 1 day before TACE); (2) 1 month after TACE; (3) 2 months after TACE; (4) 3 months after TACE; (5) 6 months after TACE; and (6) 1 year after TACE. A diagnosis of recurrence was based on computed tomography scans, magnetic resonance imaging, or digital subtraction angiography. We compared recurrence rate (RR) and CTC counts between groups. Between July 2010 and July 2012, 171 patients (TACE group: n = 81; control group: n = 90) were recruited. After TACE, mean CTC count in TACE group was 1.32 (CI 2.59-3.34), compared with 3.65 (CI 3.43-3.88) in control group (F = 200.89, P<0.05). CTCs counts were statistically significantly between groups at post-TACE time points. In addition, RR of TACE group was 25.9 % (21/81), while the number was 56.7 % (51/90) in control group. RR was statistically significantly between groups (P = 0.031). CTCs count was an important prognostic parameter for postoperative TACE on HCC recurrence.