Assessment of the effectiveness of high-intensity focused ultrasound in conjunction with CAO chemotherapy for treating advanced hepatoblastoma in children

Abstract

Abstract: Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) ablation combined with CAO chemotherapy in pediatric patients with advanced hepatoblastoma. Methods From January 2018 to January 2021, 68 pediatric patients with advanced hepatoblastoma were enrolled and divided into two groups: a control group and an observation group, with 34 patients in each group. The control group was treated with CAO chemotherapy, whereas the observation group underwent a combination of CAO chemotherapy and HIFU ablation. The clinical effectiveness, immune function alterations, tumor marker levels, and adverse reactions pre- and post-treatment between two groups were compared. Additionally, a three-year follow-up was performed to evaluate the prognosis. Results The total effective rates of the treatment in the observation group and control group were 70.59% (15/34) and 44.12% (24/34), respectively, with a significant improvement in the observation group (P<0.05). After treatment, the CD3⁺ and CD4⁺ levels in the observation group were (51.71±5.86)% and (30.84±4.03)%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The CD8⁺ level in the observation group was (28.16±3.01)%, and both CD8⁺ and tumor marker levels were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total incidence of adverse reactions in the observation and control groups was 20.59% and 23.53%, respectively, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). The progression-free survival (PFS) over 3 years in the observation and control groups was (24.59±4.68) and (18.26±5.76) months, respectively, and the survival rates were 79.41% (27/34) and 47.06% (16/34), significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The integration of HIFU ablation with CAO chemotherapy in the treatment of pediatric patients with advanced hepatoblastoma helps to enhance clinical efficacy, improve immune function, and increase survival rates.

Key words: High-intensity focused ultrasound, CAO chemotherapy, Advanced hepatoblastoma, Clinical efficacy, Survival rate

CHEN Zhen, LI Jing-xian. Assessment of the effectiveness of high-intensity focused ultrasound in conjunction with CAO chemotherapy for treating advanced hepatoblastoma in children[J]. Chinese Hepatolgy, 2025, 30(11): 1572-1576.

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