Clinical outcomes of endoscopic ultrasound-guided ethanol injection for hepatocellular carcinoma in the caudate lobe

Background and study aims: Accurately puncturing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) that arise from the caudate lobe is generally considered to be technically difficult. We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the feasibility and safety (the therapeutic outcomes and adverse events) of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided ethanol injection as a novel treatment for HCC in the caudate lobe. Patients and methods: Twelve patients with early-stage HCC of the caudate lobe that were treated with EUS-guided ethanol injection at two tertiary referral centers were reviewed retrospectively. To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the treatment, a local control curve and an overall survival curve were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The mean follow-up duration was 31.0 months. The 1-year local control rate was 80.2 %, and recurrent lesions developed in 2 cases (after 3 and 9 months, respectively). The overall survival rate was 91.7 %, 75.0 %, and 53.3 % at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Concerning procedure-related adverse events (AEs), 2 patients suffered episodes of fever lasting a few days; however, no serious AEs occurred. Conclusions: EUS-guided ethanol injection could be a useful treatment for early-stage HCC in the caudate lobe because of its simplicity and reduced invasiveness.