Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after undergoing transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combination therapy. Methods 60 patients with HCC were encountered in our hospital between February 2020 and April 2021, and out of them, 20 patients received TACE and thereafter RFA, and 40 underlying materials-matched patients received TACE alone during the same period. All patients with HCC were followed-up for 12 months. Results After treatment, the complete remission rate, partial remission rate and effectiveness rate in patients having TACE and RFA combination therapy were 35.0%, 40.0% and 75.0%, all significantly higher than 20.0%, 25.0% and 45.0% (P＜0.05) in TACE-treated patients; serum alpha-fetoprotein level in TACE and RFA-treated patients was (101.4±23.6)μg/L, significantly lower than [(364.2±45.6)μg/L, P＜0.05] in TACE-treated patients; the common complications after TACE or TACE and RFA combination in our series were pleural effusion, skin burning, local pains and transient serum ALT and/or bilirubin level elevation, all disappeared after appropriate management; the one-year survival rate in TACE and RFA-treated patients was 70.0% (14/20), much higher than 40.0% (16/40) in TACE-treated patients (P＜0.05). Conclusion The TACE and RFA combination therapy in the treatment of patients with HCC is efficacious, which might improve the short-term survival, and warrants further clinical investigation.

Key words: Hepatoma, Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, Radiofrequency ablation, Therapy