The Changes Of VEGF Level In Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Argon-helium Cryoablation Combined With Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization Treatment

ObjectiveThe article aimed to study the influence of TACE (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization) and AHC(argon-helium cryoablation therapy) combined with TACE on the expression level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma by using the two therapies to test the patients’ VEGF level before and after the treatment respectively.MethodsThe study involved 50 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated at the interventional vascular surgery in People’s Hospital of Hunan Province between March,2013 and March,2014. They were assigned to Contrast Group with 25 patients who were treated with TACE and Experimental Group with 25 patients who were treated with AHC combined with TACE. Serum samples were taken from each patient before treatment and on the 1st,3rd,7th,28th day after TACE and AHC to test the serum VEGF level.Results(1) Test of serum VEGF level in Contrast Group:The serum VEGF level of the HCC patients was 286.04 pg/ml before treatment, but it changed to 547.04,411.04,313.87,301.38 pg/ml respectively on the 1st day, 3rd day,7th day,28th day after TACE, demonstrating that there was a dynamic changing tendency of increasing at first and decreasing subsequently in the serum VEGF level. Comparing with those patients before treatment, the serum VEGF level was significantly rose on the 1st day,3rd day after TACE (P< 0.05), a significant decrease on the 7th day (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the VEGF level on the 28th day although it rose. (P> 0.05)(2) Test of serum VEGF level in Experimental Group:The serum VEGF level of the HCC patients was 283.69pg/ml before treatment, but it changed to 509.42、380.0、194.64、279.85pg/ml respectively on the 1st day,3rd day, 7th day,28th day after AHC, demonstrating that there was a dynamic changing tendency of increasing at first and decreasing subsequently in the serum VEGF level. Comparing with those patients before treatment, the serum VEGF level was significantly rose on the 1st day,3rd day after AHC (P< 0.05), a significant decrease on the 7th day (P< 0.05), but there was no significant difference in the VEGF level on the 28th day although it rose. (P > 0.05)(3) Both the serum VEGF level of HCC patients in Contrast Group and Experimental Group increased. Comparing with those patients before treatment, it showed a significant difference on the 3rd day after TACE (P< 0.05). On the 7th day after treatment, the serum VEGF level of the patients in both groups started to decrease. However, compared with patients in Contrast Group, the serum VEGF level of those in Experimental Group significantly decreased and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05).conclusion(1) The serum VEGF level of the HCC patients is rise after TACE.(2)AHC combined with TACE can further decrease the serum VEGF level in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after TACE.(3) AHC combined with TACE is superior to TACE.