This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Radioembolization induced hypertrophy, may be option for patients with liver malignancy

Radioembolization induced significantly less contralateral hypertrophy than portal vein embolization, but still may be a modality option for induction in patients with liver tumors, according to recent research data.

Researchers conducted a matched pair analysis among patients with cirrhosis and secondary liver malignancies who required hypertrophy induction to prepare for extended right hepatectomy from two German medical centers. Investigators recruited 35 patients treated by radioembolization (RE) and 141 treated with portal vein embolization (PVE). Twenty-six pairs were included in the final matched cohort.

Both groups displayed an increase in future liver remnant (FLR) volume. The PVE patients, however, had a greater increase compared with the RE group (52% vs. 30%), and they had an overall increase from baseline to follow-up (61.5% vs. 29%; P<.001). PVE patients (n=22) who achieved an FLR increase greater than 30% outnumbered the RE group (n=12). PVE patients also experienced a greater decrease in the volume of embolized liver (–138 mL, P<.001) compared with RE patients (–125 mL, P=.002).

Patients who underwent RE experienced minimized risk for tumor progression in the treated lobe, resulting in disease stabilization in 19 of 26 patients during follow-up imaging.

“Our study demonstrated that unilateral RE with a standard therapeutic dose produces significantly less contralateral hypertrophy than PVE within a comparable time frame,” the researchers wrote. “However, the hypertrophy induced by RE is substantial and may be sufficient to achieve resectability in many patients, making RE a potentially valuable option for hypertrophy induction in specific situations.”

Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.