• Ke-Yue Li, Shuai-Min Zhang, Cheng-Xian Shi, Ke-Li Tang, and Jian-Zhao Huang.
• MD, PhD. Associate Professor of Surgery, Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China.
• Sao Paulo Med J. 2020 Jan 1; 138 (1): 606360-63.

BackgroundTranscatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is thought to prevent recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but its efficacy is a matter of controversy.ObjectivesWe investigated the effect of preventive TACE on the tumor, nodes, metastasis (TNM) classification in cases of stage II HCC (T2N0M0) after R0 resection.Design And SettingCase-control study conducted in a tertiary-level public hospital.MethodsWe analyzed recurrence rates and mortality rates over time for 250 consecutive cases of HCC in TNM classification cases of stage II HCC (T2N0M0) after R0 resection. These cases were divided into patients who underwent TACE (TACE+) and presented microvascular invasion (MVI+; n = 80); TACE+ but did not present MVI (MIV-; n = 100); MVI+ but did not undergo TACE (TACE-, n = 30); and TACE-/MVI- (n = 40).ResultsMVI+ patients in the TACE+ group had significantly lower recurrence rates and mortality rates at one, two and three years than those in the TACE- group (all P < 0.05). Among MVI- patients, the TACE+ group did not have significantly lower recurrence rates and mortality rates at one, two and three years than the TACE- group (all P > 0.05). Regardless of whether TACE was performed or not, MVI- patients had significantly lower recurrence rates and mortality rates at two and three years after their procedures than did MVI+ patients (all P < 0.05).ConclusionRecurrence rates and mortality rates for MVI+ patients were significantly higher than for MVI- patients, beyond the first year after TACE. Postoperative adjuvant TACE may be beneficial for HCC patients with MVI.

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