ReviewCureus2025
Optimizing Transarterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Current Strategies, Innovations, and Future Directions.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Integrating Combination Therapy and Smart Embolic Materials to Overcome the Therapeutic Ceiling of Transarterial Chemoembolization in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma · 2026Review
- Analysis of risk factors and prediction of prognosis in patients with primary liver cancer undergoing transarterial chemoembolization.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major global health challenge with high mortality, particularly in patients with intermediate-stage disease, where curative options are limited. Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the mainstay of treatment in such cases, offering locoregional tumor control by combining targeted chemotherapy and embolization. This review explores current strategies to optimize TACE, including advancements in drug delivery systems such as drug-eluting beads and balloon-occluded techniques, and highlights the importance of patient selection based on Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) staging, liver function, and performance status. Emerging combination therapies, such as TACE with systemic agents like sorafenib, lenvatinib, and apatinib, or immunotherapies like atezolizumab-bevacizumab, show promise in improving progression-free and overall survival. Additionally, TACE plays a critical role in bridging and downstaging patients for liver transplantation. Future directions focus on integrating radiomics, artificial intelligence, and inflammatory biomarkers to enhance treatment personalization and predict therapeutic response. Despite its established role, TACE is not without risks, including post-embolization syndrome and organ-specific ischemic complications. Continued research is essential to refine selection criteria, minimize adverse effects, and validate innovative approaches, ultimately improving outcomes for HCC patients across diverse clinical scenarios.
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Identifiers
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Registered trials
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.