The status of transarterial chemoembolization treatment in the era of precision oncology

Abstract

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the gold standard of therapy for patients with unresectable intermediate stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and is also commonly used as postresection adjuvant therapy in Asia. The delivery of TACE is highly variable from center to center, and clinical decision making for patients is based primarily on tumor staging guidelines, with very little focus on individualized tumor features. This review will discuss recent efforts for improving patient outcomes with TACE treatment through personalized medicine advances, including ongoing clinical trials investigating the combination of targeted therapy with TACE and the discovery of prognostic biomarkers for predicting TACE response.