Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of TACE Combined with Microwave Ablation and TACE Combined with Cryoablation in the Treatment of Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of TACE combined with microwave ablation (MWA) and TACE combined with cryoablation (CRA) in the treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 81 patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma (tumor diameter 5～8 cm cm) who received TACE combined with ablation in our hospital from February 2015 to February 2019. The study patients were divided into TACE combined with MWA group (T-MWA, n = 41) and TACE combined with CRA group (T-CRA, n = 40) according to the treatment plan. Overall survival (OS) and progress free survival (PFS) were compared between the two groups, and complications were observed. Survival curves for OS and PFS were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences in overall survival were compared using the log-rank test. Results: There was no statistical difference in general conditions between the two groups of patients. The results showed that 30 (73.2%) patients in T-MWA group achieved objective response (OR) and 39 (95.1%) patients achieved disease control (DC), compared with 24 (60.0%) patients in T-CRA group who achieved objective response (OR) and 37 (92.5%) patients who achieved disease control (DC). The median OS was 19.2 months in the T-MWA group and 18.6 months in the T-CRA group (P=0.64). The median PFS was 9.3 months in the T-MWA group and 12.3 months in the T-CRA group (P=0.6). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), intrahepatic tumor diameter, and the number of tumor lesions were common prognostic factors for OS and PFS. In terms of surgery-related complications and adverse reactions, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal reactions were observed in 13 (31.7%) and 11(26.8%) cases in the T-MWA group, while we observed 4 (10.0%) and 2 (5.0%) cases in the T-CRA group, respectively. The difference between the two was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: TACE combined with MWA and TACE combined with CRA were equally effective in the treatment of large hepatocellular carcinoma. TACE-CRA can effectively reduce the incidence of abdominal pain and gastrointestinal reactions in patients. However, compared with TACE-MWA, TACE-CRA is more likely to cause thrombocytopenia.

Knockdown of LINC00467 contributed to Axitinib sensitivity in hepatocellular carcinoma through miR-509-3p/PDGFRA axis.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common histological class of primary liver cancer with dismal prognosis. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly documented as participators in cancers. Present study aimed to explore the role of long intergenic nonprotein-coding RNA 467 (LINC00467) in HCC. LINC00467 was upregulated in HCC samples in TCGA database, and was confirmed to be elevated in HCC cell lines. Functionally, LINC00467 depletion impeded proliferation and invasion, induced apoptosis, and promoted cellular sensitivity to Axitinib in HCC. Mechanistically, LINC00467 performed as a sponge of microRNA (miR)-509-3p and upregulated the expression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) in HCC cells. In conclusion, our study illustrated that LINC00467 promoted proliferation and invasion, impedes apoptosis, and contributed to Axitinib resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma through miR-509-3p/PDGFRA, indicating LINC00467 as a promising biological target for HCC treatment.

LncRNA OR3A4 participates in the angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma through modulating AGGF1/akt/mTOR pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as the commonest type in liver cancer, is in urgent need for better treatment target due to its high mortality and poor prognosis. The involvement of angiogenesis in HCC has been identified by multiple studies, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been reported to regulate numerous cancers, including HCC. LncRNA-OR3A4 has been reported to exert oncogenic and angiogenetic functions in gastric cancer, but its role in HCC hasn't been elucidated. Present study aimed to uncover the biological role of OR3A4 in tumor progression and angiogenesis in HCC. The upregulation of OR3A4 in HCC tissues and cell lines and its prognostic significance were first identified. Loss-of-function assays, including CCK-8, transwell and tube formation assay, validated OR3A4 as a promoter for HCC progression and angiogenesis. The association of OR3A4 and AGGF1 with HCC and poor prognosis was identified by qRT-PCR and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Western blotting and spearman's correlation curve verified the effect of OR3A4 on AGGF1 level and their positive association. Rescue assays revealed that OR3A4 promoted cancer progression and angiogenesis in HCC via AGGF1/akt/mTOR. Together, present study revealed OR3A4 as a novel prognostic target for HCC, which regulated tumor progression and angiogenesis through AGGF1/akt/mTOR pathway.

Clinical study of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with microwave ablation in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with percutaneous microwave ablation (MWA) in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three thousand cases of advanced HCC patients were randomly divided into two groups: 1500 cases in the treatment group were treated with TACE combined with MWA and 1500 cases in the control group were treated with TACE. RESULTS: The effective rate of the treatment group and control group was 71.4% and 42.8%, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). During the follow-up period at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postoperatively, the survival rates of the treatment group were 88.1%, 73.8%, 52.3%, and 33.3%, and the survival rates of the control group were 76.2%, 57.1%, 30.9%, and 9.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference in postoperative complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: It is safe and effective to use TACE combined with MWA in the treatment of advanced HCC, and the effect of combined treatment is better than that of TACE alone.