Hepatocellular carcinoma is a particularly common malignancy in Asian countries. In Japan, trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is usually given to patients with intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma and conventional transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (cTACE) is the gold standard for the treatment of this stage. cTACE has been performed using lipiodol emulsion mixed with anticancer drugs followed by gelatin sponge particles. After several sessions of cTACE, some patients become refractory to this TACE. From the aspect of world standards, sorafenib is recommended for use in HCC patients who are refractory to TACE with well-preserved liver function. From early 2014, drug eluting beads (DEB) have become commercially available in Japan at last. However use of these new products for HCC treatment has only just begun in Japan. Here, we describe the current status of DEB-TACE for cTACE refractory patients in our limited experience.
