# Arterial embolisation or chemoembolisation versus symptomatic treatment in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-llovet-tace-lancet-2002/  
OnCo record `paper-llovet-tace-lancet-2002` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

This Barcelona trial was the first to show that transarterial chemoembolisation lengthens survival in intermediate-stage liver cancer, with two-year survival of 63 percent against 27 percent with supportive care, making it the standard for this stage.

## Summary

Randomised trial of 112 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, Child-Pugh A or B cirrhosis and no vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread, randomised to arterial embolisation, chemoembolisation with doxorubicin, or conservative treatment; stopped early when chemoembolisation showed a survival benefit.

Survival at one and two years was 82 and 63 percent with chemoembolisation, 75 and 50 percent with embolisation, and 63 and 27 percent with conservative treatment (hazard ratio for chemoembolisation 0.47).

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: The Lancet
- Year: 2002
- DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08649-X
- Authors: Llovet JM, Real MI, Montaña X, et al.
- Findings: Two-year survival 63 percent (chemoembolisation) vs 27 percent (conservative).; Hazard ratio for death 0.47 with chemoembolisation.
- What it means: Transarterial chemoembolisation is the standard treatment for BCLC stage B hepatocellular carcinoma, now being combined with systemic therapy.
- Caveats: Small trial stopped early; embolisation alone was not significantly better than control.

## Sources

- Lancet 2002: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(02)08649-X
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12049862/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Intermediate hepatocellular carcinoma (BCLC B)](https://onco.cc/cancers/hcc-intermediate/)
- journals: [The Lancet](https://onco.cc/journals/lancet/)

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