Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40622188›Full record

ArticleDiagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey)2026

Combined therapy with microwave ablation and conventional transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma tumors larger than five centimetres: a prospective study.

Hui Liu, Zhuoyang Fan, Ranying Zhang, Xingwei Zhang, Jianhua Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diagnostic and interventional radiology (Ankara, Turkey), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Hui LiuFudan University Zhongshan Hospital, Department of Radiology, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0576-2915
Zhuoyang FanFudan University Zhongshan Hospital, Department of Interventional Radiology, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2304-1521
Ranying ZhangFudan University Zhongshan Hospital, Department of Radiology, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0243-6102
Xingwei ZhangFudan University Zhongshan Hospital, Department of Radiology, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0000-0003-0665-8519
Jianhua WangFudan University Zhongshan Hospital, Department of Interventional Radiology, Shanghai, China.ORCID 0009-0008-2532-6791

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to compare the safety and efficacy of a combined therapy involving microwave ablation (MWA) and transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) versus only TACE for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors ≥5 cm.

methodsThis prospective study enrolled 186 patients with HCC tumors ≥5 cm. Patients were divided into a test group (TACE + MWA) and a control group (TACE only). The average tumor size was 9.2 ± 3.7 cm, ranging from 5 to 19 cm. Forty-five patients (27.4%) had Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer class A disease, and 119 (72.6%) had class B disease. The viable tumor volume was quantified utilizing ITK-SNAP, a free and open-source software package for medical image segmentation and visualization, along with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. The tumor response was assessed according to the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors rules. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were monitored, and the tumor necrosis ratio and AFP variation rate were calculated.

resultsThe final analysis of 164 patients (median age 57 years, range 26-80 years; 19 women, 145 men) showed that the test group exhibited a significantly higher tumor necrosis ratio than the control group (87.5% vs. 76.1%,

conclusionThe combination of TACE and MWA demonstrated safety, good tolerability, and greater efficacy compared with TACE alone for HCC tumors ≥5 cm. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The combination of TACE and MWA offers new possibilities for improving tumor necrosis rates, reducing AFP levels, and enhancing short-term prognosis. These findings not only provide new treatment options for clinical doctors but also promote the application of three-dimensional quantitative assessment technology and provide important references for future research and clinical practice.

Indexed as

Ablation TechniquesCarcinoma, HepatocellularChemoembolization, TherapeuticLiver NeoplasmsMicrowavesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overalpha-FetoproteinsCombined Modality TherapyFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedProspective Studiesalpha-FetoproteinsHepatocellular carcinomamicrowave ablationtherapeutic evaluationthree-dimensionaltransarterial chemoembolization

Identifiers

PMID40622188
PMCPMC12766349

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.