Abstract: Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate short-term and long-term efficacy of patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) after hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combination therapy. Methods A total of 92 patients with PLC were encountered in our hospital between January 2016 and March 2018, and were randomly divided into control group (n=46) and observation group (n=46), receiving TACE or TACE and RFA combination treatment. All patients were followed-up for three years. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-2(IL-2), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) levels were detected. Results Short-term efficacy (complete and partial remission) in the observation group was 82.6%, much higher than 58.7%(P＜0.05) in the control; by end of one year after treatmenyt, serum hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in 44 survivals in the observation group were(5.1±2.0)ng/L, (97.3±12.2)ng/L and (47.8±5.8)pg/mL, significantly lower than [(8.2±1.6)ng/L, (110.3±15.5)ng/L and (53.5±6.8)pg/mL, respectively, P＜0.05], while serum IL-2 level was (3.4±0.4)ng/L, significantly higher than [(3.0±0.5)ng/L, P＜0.05] in 38 survivals in the control group; one-year, two-year and three-year survival rates in the observation group were 95.7%, 84.8% and 78.3%, all much higher than 82.6%, 65.2% and 54.4%(P＜0.05) in the control. Conclusion Application of TACE and RFA combination in the treatment of patients with PLC is efficacious, with a satisfactory short-term and long-term survivals, which might improve body immune functions.

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