OBJECTIVESInvestigate the clinical efficacy of cryotherapy ablation treatment for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. analyse the predictive factors of cryotherapy ablation treatment.

METHODSThere were 190 cases of hepatitis B-related HCC patients with advanced HCC from 2005 to 2008 in our hospital. By using clinical cohort method, they included cryoablation group (147 cases) and control group (43 cases), The median survival time and time to disease progression were compared. Evaluate clinical significance of age, gender, location of portal vein tumor thrombus, HBeAg, tumor histological grade, Child-Pugh classification, end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, advanced liver cancer prediction system (ALCPS) score and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) score for predicting the efficacy of cryoablation. Group rates were compared with the x2 test, survival analysis by using Kaplan-Meier method, survival rates were compared by Log-rank analysis; multiple factor survival analysis by using Cox regression model.

RESULTSMedian survival time of cryoablation group and Control group was 7.5 (4.2 to 14.6) months and 3.2 (1.2 to 8.6) months, median TTP was 3.5 (2.5 to 4.5) months and 1.5 (1.0 to 3.5 months), the differences were statistically significant ( P less than 0.05 ). Median OS and TTP of advanced HCC patients who had Well-differentiated tumor, Child-pugh A-class and low score of MELD score, ALCPS score, ECOG PS score were significantly longer than the poorly differentiate, Child-Pugh B-class and the high those scores ( P less than 0.05). ECOG PS ( P less than 0.05, 95% CI 1.074 to 2.143) and ALCPS (P less than 0.05, 95% CI 1.005 to 2.121) were independent predictors for OS of advanced HCC.

CONCLUSIONCryoablation treatment can prolong median OS and TTP of advanced HCC; ECOG PS and ALCPS are important predictors for survival time of advanced HCC.