For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who are waiting for a liver transplant, local treatment of their disease has become the standard of care in an effort to decrease dropout rates and as a means of reducing tumor recurrence after transplantation. For patients undergoing local regional therapy as a bridge to transplantation, trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the most commonly utilized treatment. However, the best modality for patients undergoing treatment as a bridge to transplantation is unclear. A newer strategy for the treatment of HCC is stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). This study will compare SBRT to TACE as a bridging strategy for patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation.
This study will compare stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) as a bridging strategy for patients with HCC undergoing liver transplantation. We propose that SBRT will be associated with longer time intervals between initial treatment and the need for retreatment, compared to TACE, as a bridge to liver transplantation in subjects with HCC.