Ablative Chemoembolization for Unresectable and Large Hepatocellular Carcinoma

1. Signage of a written informed consent
2. Age above 18 years
3. HCC unsuitable for resection
4. Child-Pugh A or B cirrhosis
5. Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance score 0 or 1
6. No previous treatment with liver resection, ablation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or transarterial embolization (with or without chemotherapy),
7. HCC diagnosed by typical enhancement patterns on cross sectional imaging or histology.
8. No extra-hepatic involvement on non-enhanced CT thorax and triphasic contrast enhanced CT abdomen.
9. No invasion of portal vein or hepatic vein
10. Massive expansive tumor morphology with measurable lesion on CT (characterized by well-defined spherical or globular configuration, with or without tumor capsule or satellite lesions)
11. Total tumor mass \< 50% liver volume
12. Size of any individual tumor >10cm in largest dimension

Exclusion Criteria:

1. History of acute tumor rupture presenting with hemo-peritoneum
2. Biliary obstruction not amenable to percutaneous or endoscopic drainage
3. Child-Pugh C cirrhosis
4. History of hepatic encephalopathy
5. Intractable ascites not controllable by medical therapy
6. History of variceal bleeding within last 3 months
7. Serum total bilirubin level > 50 umol/L
8. Serum albumin level \< 25g/L
9. INR > 1.7
10. Serum creatinine level > 150 mmol/L.
11. Infiltrative tumor morphology (characterized by ill- defined tumor margin and amorphous configuration) or diffuse tumor morphology (characterized by large number of small nodules)
12. Arterio-portal venous shunt affecting >1 hepatic segment on CT
13. Arterial-hepatic venous shunt with hepatic vein opacified in arterial phase on CT