Enhancement patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma after transarterial chemoembolization using drug-eluting beads on arterial phase CT images: a pilot retrospective study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to assess CT enhancement patterns of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within 1 month after transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) using drug-eluting beads and to determine whether enhancement patterns may be useful for predicting local tumor progression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-one patients with 50 HCCs underwent CT within 1 month after TACE with drug-eluting beads. Two blinded readers independently reviewed the arterial phase images and classified enhancement patterns as follows: no enhancement, peripheral ring enhancement, and peripheral nodulelike enhancement. Enhancement patterns were correlated with time to tumor progression of enhancing tissue by log-rank test.

RESULTS: In the group with no enhancement, 92.3% (24/26) had not progressed and 7.7% (2/26) showed progression; for peripheral ring enhancement, 83.3% (10/12) had not progressed and 16.7% (2/12) showed progression; and for peripheral nodulelike enhancement, 16.7% (2/12) had not progressed and 83.3% (10/12) showed progression. The time to progression of enhancing tissue was significantly different between the group with no enhancement plus peripheral ring enhancement and the group with peripheral nodulelike enhancement (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Analysis of enhancement patterns at the arterial phase of the first follow-up CT after TACE with drug-eluting beads is helpful for predicting progression of treated HCC.