Safety profile of transarterial chemoembolization therapy in elderly patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

This study explores the safety of ransarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in elderly Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, aiming to clarify its suitability and identify risk factors for serious adverse events, ultimately aiding clinical decisions in geriatric oncology. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included patients over 18 years of age who were newly diagnosed with HCC based on histopathological confirmation or established non-invasive radiological criteria. All participants received TACE as their initial treatment. Pre- and post-procedural imaging was obtained using either dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or triphasic computed tomography (CT). Results: One hundred twenty-nine patients aged over 18 years with HCC were included in our study. General adverse events were reported in 58.3% of patients in Group A and 66.7% in Group B, while serious adverse events occurred in 33.3% versus 41.7%, respectively. Among patients who experienced at least one serious adverse event after TACE, univariate analysis revealed significant predictive associations with female sex, smoking history, presence of diabetes mellitus, a Child-Pugh classification above A, and BCLC stage B disease. Multivariate analysis revealed that female gender and BCLC stage B were independent risk factors associated with the development of serious adverse events after TACE. Conclusion: This study revealed that the safety profiles of TACE were comparable between the elderly and younger populations, showing no discernible differences. It was also seen that age had no predictive value for serious adverse events.