Transarterial chemoembolization using callispheres beads in hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

CalliSpheres beads are frequently used in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients during transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) procedure. However, the effects of CalliSpheres beads in HCC therapy are still less reported. This study was to examine the efficacy and safety of CalliSpheres beads in HCC treatment. A total of 119 HCC patients were included in this comparative study from June 2016 to June 2017. Among them, 65 patients received conventional TACE using iodized oil and 54 patients treated with TACE using CalliSpheres beads. The clinical efficacy, adverse events, and overall survival were assessed. There were no significant differences for the baseline characteristics, such as gender and overall status. However, higher clinical responses in patients treated with TACE using CalliSpheres beads were observed when compared with cTACE group. Besides, most common complications were lighter in patients using CalliSpheres beads. Patients treated with CalliSpheres beads had a median survival of 14.0 months, which was longer than cTACE group with a median survival of 10.0 months (P = 0.032). The present study supports the use of CalliSpheres beads in TACE treatment for HCC patients due to its higher responses, lighter complications, and the survival benefit compared with cTACE.