Correlation between magnetic resonance images of peritumor margin enhancement and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma after drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization

PurposeThe aim of this study is to investigate the morphological characteristics and clinical significance of magnetic resonance (MR) images of peritumor margin enhancement in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after drug-eluting bead transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (DEB-TACE). MethodsFrom January 2017 to December 2020, a total of 162 patients who received a diagnosis of HCC were included in our study. We began the follow-up with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for complete response assessment, and peritumor margin enhancements were classified as sharp and rough types according to morphology. During the follow-up, data such as progression or remission of the two enhancement modalities, morphological changes in terms of margin enhancements observed in MR images, and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were recorded. ResultsIn the follow-up period of 36 months, 70 and 92 patients with sharp- and rough-type peritumor margins, respectively, were observed. At the end of the follow-up, patients with sharp-type margins had lower AFP levels and longer progression-free survival than those with rough-type margins (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the sharp-type margin was thinner than the rough-type margin (all P < 0.05). Moreover, the sharp-type group had a high incidence of tumors with a diameter of < 5 cm, whereas the rough-type group had a high incidence of tumors with a diameter of >= 5 cm. Continuous enhancements of peritumor margins in MRI were greater in the sharp-type group than in the rough-type group. Most of the patients with a sharp-type margin achieved disease remission (94.3%, P < 0.05), whereas most of those with a rough-type margin experienced disease progression (84.8%, P < 0.05). ConclusionsPatients with HCC with a sharp-type margin enhancement on MRI after DEB-TACE mostly demonstrated benign lesions with a good prognosis, whereas those with a rough-type margin mostly demonstrated malignant growth.