ObjectiveTo summarize the research progress of four mainstream drug-eluting beads (DEB) in transcathete arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for hepatocellular carcinoma in recent years.MethodThrough retrieving relevant literatures at home and abroad, the physicochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, effectiveness, and safety of four mainstream DEBs were reviewed.ResultsThe current mainstream DEBs on the market had the characteristics of high drug loading rate and sustained release of drugs, which could reduce the adverse reactions after the embolization to a certain extent. The safety and tolerance of patients receiving DEB-TACE were slightly higher than those receiving traditional TACE (c-TACE). There were no serious complications after the DEB-TACE, but the short-term and long-term efficacies between the two methods were not significantly different.ConclusionsAt present, most studies believe that the safety and tolerance of DEB are slightly higher than that of c-TACE, but whether the former is more effective than the latter is still controversial at home and abroad, and more high-quality multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm it.