Influence of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with radioactive particle implantation on CT perfusion imaging parameters in patients with primary liver cancer

  Objective  To explore the influence of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radioactive partial implantation on CT perfusion imaging parameters in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC).

  Methods  Totally 104 patients with PLC were randomly divided into control group and experimental group, with 52 cases in each group. The control group was treated with TACE, while the observation group was treated with TACE combined with radioactive seed implantation. The objective remission rate, alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), the levels of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets and natural killer cells (NK) after treatment were compared between two groups. Changes of CT perfusion parameters and incidence of adverse reactions before and after treatment were compared between two groups.

  Results  One month after treatment, the objective remission rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The serum CEA and AFP levels of the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the serum CEA and AFP levels of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The levels of CD4⁺, CD3⁺, CD4⁺/CD8⁺ and NK cells of the observation group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05), while the level of CD8⁺ in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). The blood volume (BV), surface permeability (PS), blood flow (BF), hepatic artery fraction (HAF) and mean transit time (MTT) in both groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < 0.05), and the above indexes in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05). During treatment, there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05), and no severe adverse reactions occurred.

  Conclusion  TACE interventional therapy combined with radioactive particles can improve the objective remission rate of patients with PLC, reduce the levels of AFP and CEA, increase the levels of T lymphocyte and NK cell, improve the immune ability, enhance the inhibition of angiogenesis of tumor tissue, and reduce CT perfusion parameters.