Fig. 3 (a1) DSA angiography which showed tumor staining during GSMs-TACE
in patients with HCC. The feeding artery came from the right hepatic
artery. (a2) after GSMs embolization, the blood flow velocity of the
feeding artery slowed down. DSA angiography after embolization showed
that the tumor staining basically disappeared. (b1) The preoperative
abdominal enhanced CT scan of one patient with stage BCLC B before
operation showed that the right lobe of the liver was not homogeneously
enhanced in the arterial phase. (b2) 4 days after GSMs-TACE, there were
honeycomb-like low-density changes in tumors shown on CT plain scan.
(b3) abdominal enhanced CT of the same patient 1 month after operation
indicated that most of the tumors in the liver were liquefied and
necrotic without progression. C. The Treg cell proportion in peripheral
blood of one patient before, at 10 and 30 days after GSMs-TACE. (c1) The
Treg cell proportion in peripheral blood before GSMs-TACE was 13.28%;
(c2) The Treg cell proportion in peripheral blood at 10 days after
GSMs-TACE was 8.56%; (c3) The Treg cell proportion in peripheral blood
at 30 days after GSMs-TACE was 10.60%. (d1) DSA angiography of one
patient with liver cancer at BCLC stage B during GSMs-TACE showed that
the blood supply artery came from the right hepatic artery. After
embolized with gelatin sponge particles, the blood flow velocity of the
right hepatic artery slowed down. (d2) DSA angiography indicated that
the tumor staining basically disappeared after operation. (d3) the plain
abdominal CT of this patient after operation showed that the right
hepatic lobe tumor had honeycomb liquefying necrosis and the right
portal vein tumor thrombus showed low density necrosis. (d4) enhanced
abdominal MRI at 1 month after operation showed that the tumor necrosis
area in the right lobe of the liver had no enhancement, and the tumor
thrombus in the right branch of the portal vein had necrosis.
3.5 Flow cytometry of Treg cells in peripheral blood of one HCC patient
before and after GSMs-TACE
Representative profiles of high CD25 and low CD127 expressions in the
peripheral blood of one patient with HCC are shown in Fig.3c. The Treg
cells proportion on the 10th day after GSMs-TACE was
significantly lower than that of the preoperative level, and the
proportion on the 30th day after GSMs-TACE was
increased but still lower than that of the preoperative level.