Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficiency of combined treatment of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and systemic chemotherapy (SC) for liver-only metastases from breast cancer after mastectomy. METHODS: We compared the outcomes of 44 patients who underwent combined treatment of TACE and systemic chemotherapy (TSC) with those of 43 patients who underwent systemic chemotherapy (SC). RESULTS: The median follow-up from the diagnosis of liver metastases was 29 months (range, 0-89 months). Response rates were 59.1% and 34.9% for TSC group and SC group (P < 0.05), respectively. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates for TSC group were 76.2, 66.7 and 47.6%, and those for SC group were 48.1, 29.6 and 7.4% (P = 0.027), respectively. Estrogen receptor (ER)-negative status of primary tumor, disease-free interval from mastectomy to liver metastases (DFI) less than 24 months and patients who received systemic chemotherapy only were independently associated with poor prognosis (P = 0.009; P = 0.023; P = 0.030). CONCLUSIONS: The combined treatment of TACE and systemic chemotherapy may prolong survival for liver metastases in breast cancer after mastectomy.