Transcatheter arterial embolization for massive hepatocellular carcinoma in 18 dogs (2020-2025).

TAE achieves disease control in most dogs with massive HCC, with a median survival of 447 days.

This retrospective case series evaluated transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) as a treatment for massive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in 18 dogs between 2020 and 2025. All dogs underwent contrast-enhanced CT and histopathologic confirmation prior to treatment. Tumor response assessment at 1–3 months post-TAE revealed partial response in 50%, stable disease in 33.3%, and progressive disease in 5.6% of cases, yielding an overall disease control rate of approximately 83%. Two dogs (11.1%) died within 2 weeks of the procedure. Among surviving dogs, the median tumor volume reduction was 32.6%. A notable finding was the high prevalence of extrahepatic collateral arterial supply, identified in 72.2% of cases, involving the left phrenic, gastroepiploic, right phrenic, pancreatic, and mesenteric arteries. This collateral vascularity represents an important technical consideration when planning TAE in dogs. Common postoperative complications included mild diarrhea (77.8%), anorexia (61.1%), mild anemia (16.7%), and acute gallbladder infarction (11.1%), the latter being asymptomatic in both cases. Secondary interventions included a second TAE in 11.1% and hepatic lobectomy post-TAE in 22.2% of dogs. The median survival time for all 18 dogs was 447 days. These findings suggest TAE is a viable, minimally invasive option for managing massive HCC in dogs, particularly when surgical resection is not immediately feasible, though procedural mortality and extrahepatic collateral mapping must be carefully considered.

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