Study of Radiation Dose Received by Patient from Liver Cancer Treatment Using Transarterial Chemoembolization at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Hospital

Radiation Dose Received from the Treatment of Liver Cancer Using TACE at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Hospital

Abstract

         Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers in Thailand. The most effective treatment for HCC is surgical resection of the tumor; however, some patients are not eligible for surgery. In such cases, interventional radiology plays an important role in patient management, and Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has become one of the treatment options for HCC. Since TACE requires the use of X-rays, which are ionizing radiation, patients are at risk of radiation exposure and potential radiation-induced injuries. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the radiation dose received by patients in order to study the radiation exposure associated with TACE and to compare these values with diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) from previous studies. Such data serve as references for assessing the quality of radiation usage in HCC treatment with TACE at Ubon Ratchathani Cancer Hospital. This study was a retrospective descriptive study including 114 patients with HCC who underwent TACE between January and December 2024. The average radiation dose received by the patients was 159.92 Gy·cm^². In conclusion, when compared with the national DRLs established by the Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand (2023), as well as with international standards, the cumulative radiation dose from this study was found to be lower than the reference levels.