Transarterial embolization is an acceptable bridging therapy to hepatocellular carcinoma prior to liver transplantation.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that requires liver transplantation (LT). Despite patients with HCC being prioritized by most organ allocation systems worldwide, they still have to wait for long periods. Locoregional therapies (LRTs) are employed as bridging therapies in patients with HCC awaiting LT. Although largely used in the past, transarterial embolization (TAE) has been replaced by transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). However, the superiority of TACE over TAE has not been consistently shown in the literature.

Aim: To compare the outcomes of TACE and TAE in patients with HCC awaiting LT.

Methods: All consecutive patients with HCC awaiting LT between 2011 and 2020 at a single center were included. All patients underwent LRT with either TACE or TAE. Some patients also underwent percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), concomitantly or in different treatment sessions. The choice of LRT for each HCC nodule was determined by a multidisciplinary consensus. The primary outcome was waitlist dropout due to tumor progression, and the secondary outcome was the occurrence of adverse events. In the subset of patients who underwent LT, complete pathological response and post-transplant recurrence-free survival were also assessed.

Results: Twelve (18.5%) patients in the TACE group (only TACE and TACE + PEI; = 65) and 3 (7.9%) patients in the TAE group (only TAE and TAE + PEI; = 38) dropped out of the waitlist due to tumor progression ( log-rank test = 0.29). Adverse events occurred in 8 (12.3%) and 2 (5.3%) patients in the TACE and TAE groups, respectively ( = 0.316). Forty-eight (73.8%) of the 65 patients in the TACE group and 29 (76.3%) of the 38 patients in the TAE group underwent LT ( = 0.818). Among these patients, complete pathological response was detected in 7 (14.6%) and 9 (31%) patients in the TACE and TAE groups, respectively ( = 0.145). Post-LT, HCC recurred in 9 (18.8%) and 4 (13.8%) patients in the TACE and TAE groups, respectively ( = 0.756). Posttransplant recurrence-free survival was similar between the groups ( log-rank test = 0.71).

Conclusion: Dropout rates and posttransplant recurrence-free survival of TAE were similar to those of TACE in patients with HCC. Our study reinforces the hypothesis that TACE is not superior to TAE as a bridging therapy to LT in patients with HCC.