{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T00:16:37Z","timestamp":1790036197072,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,5]],"date-time":"2026-04-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775347200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diagnostics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is included in international guidelines for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it is still not a standardized intervention in terms of vector and chemotherapy. This study aims to report on clinical and radiological outcomes of degradable starch microspheres TACE (DSM-TACE) with idarubicin and compare with DSM-TACE with an epirubicin protocol after a single session. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study analyzing cirrhotic patients affected by HCC in early or intermediate stages. Primary objectives were to assess the safety and efficacy of a single DSM-TACE with 10 mg idarubicin in terms of adverse event (AE) occurrences evaluated via the CTCAE 5.0 system and mRECIST criteria with computed tomography (CT) at 3 months. The secondary purpose was to compare the procedural outcomes with those from patients treated with DSM-TACE with 50 mg epirubicin. Results: Thirty-seven patients were included, 19 treated with idarubicin (IDA group) and 18 with epirubicin (EPI group); demographic data and lesion characteristics were comparable. No major AE (grade \u2265 3) occurred overall. In the IDA group, the minor AE incidence was 52.7%: one patient presented with mild ascites, eight developed hyperbilirubinemia and one leucopenia. At the 3-month CT follow-up, mRECIST criteria reported an overall response rate (ORR) of 63.2% and a disease control rate (DCR) of 84.2%. No statistically significant differences were appreciable comparing both AE occurrence and mRECIST findings with the EPI group (50% minor AE, 77.8% ORR, 88.9% DCR). Conclusions: In this sample of cirrhotic patients with HCC, DSM-TACE with 10 mg idarubicin was safe and effective comparable to DSM-TACE with 50 mg epirubicin.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/diagnostics16071100","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,6]],"date-time":"2026-04-06T00:19:32Z","timestamp":1775434772000},"page":"1100","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Clinical and Radiological Outcomes Comparison of Degradable Starch Microspheres TACE with Idarubicin vs. Epirubicin Protocol in Patients with HCC"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Francesco","family":"Giurazza","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pietro","family":"Roccatagliata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-4226-4579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudio","family":"Carrubba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2593-8148","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fabio","family":"Corvino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raffaella","family":"Tortora","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marco","family":"Guarracino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mariafiorella","family":"Brangi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oncology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carla","family":"Migliaccio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatobiliary Surgery Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Federica","family":"Falaschi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatobiliary Surgery Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maria","family":"Cammarota","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pharmacy Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raffaella","family":"Niola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vascular and Interventional Radiology Department, Cardarelli Hospital, Via Antonio Cardarelli 9, 80131 Naples, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"European Association for the Study of the Liver (2025). 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