Abstract: ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of transhepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of colorectal cancer with liver metastasis. MethodsThe data of 92 patients with colorectal cancer with liver metastasis admitted to Nanyang First People′s Hospital of Henan Province from January 2014 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 46 patients treated with TACE were selected as the TACE group, and another 46 patients treated with TACE and RFA were selected as the combined group. The clinical efficacies of the two groups were compared, and the changes of Karnofsky functional status (KPS) scores before and after treatment in the two groups were analyzed. The incidences of complications in the two groups were calculated. Patients in the two groups were followed up, and the progress-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. ResultsThe disease control rate of the combined group was 82.61% (38/46), and that of the TACE group was 63.04% (29/46). The disease control rate of the combined group was higher than that of the TACE group (χ2=4.449, P=0.035). Before treatment, the KPS scores of the combined group and the TACE group were 71.84±4.37, 72.22±4.26, with no statistically significant difference (t=0.423, P=0.673). After treatment, the KPS scores of the two groups were higher than those before treatment, and the KPS score of the combined group was higher than that of the TACE group (79.81±6.15 vs. 75.86±6.02; t=3.108, P=0.003). The incidence of complications was 54.35% (25/46) in the combined group and 41.30% (19/46) in the TACE group. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (χ2=1.568, P=0.210). The median PFS and OS in the TACE group were 12.6 and 20.7 months, and those in the combined group were 18.9 and 28.2 months. The PFS and OS of the combined group were longer than those of the TACE group (χ2=72.025, P＜0.001; χ2=26.580, P＜0.001). ConclusionTACE combined with RFA is effective in the treatment of liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, which can effectively improve the KPS score of patients, prolong the PFS and OS, and do not increase the risk of complications.

Key words: Colorectal neoplasms, Neoplasm metastasis, Hepatic arterial chemoembolization, Radiofrequency ablation, Survival analysis