Transarterial chemoembolization <i>vs.</i> liver resection as initial treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma occurring exclusively in caudate lobe: A retrospective propensity matching analysis

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the caudate lobe is technically challenging. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the clinical outcome of both superselective transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and liver resection (LR) for HCC occurring exclusively in the caudate lobe. From January 2008 to September 2021, a total of 129 patients were diagnosed with HCC of the caudate lobe. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the potential clinical factors and established prognostic nomograms with interval validation. Of the total number of patients, 78 received TACE and 51 received LR. The overall survival (OS) rates (TACE vs. LR) at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years were 83.9% vs. 71.0%; 74.2% vs. 61.3%; 58.1% vs. 48.4%; 45.2% vs. 45.2%; and 32.3% vs. 25.0%, respectively. However, subgroup analysis revealed that TACE was superior to LR for treating patients with stage IIb Chinese liver cancer (CNLC-IIb) in the entire cohort (p = 0.002). Interestingly, no difference was found between TACE and LR in the treatment outcomes of CNLC-IIa HCC (p = 0.6). Based on Child-Pugh A and B calculations, TACE tended to lead to a better OS than LR (p = 0.081 and 0.16, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that Child-Pugh score, CNLC stage, ascites, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), tumor size, and anti-HCV are related to OS. Predictive nomograms for 1, 2, and 3 years were performed. Based on this study, TACE may provide a longer OS than liver resection for patients with CNLC-IIb HCC of the caudate lobe. Because this suggestion is limited by the study design and relatively small sample size, additional randomized controlled trials are needed.     

A preoperative model for predicting early recurrence in patients undergoing resection for single hepatocellular carcinoma

Background and aimThe updated Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer guidelines recommend liver resection (LR) for patients with single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of any size. This study developed a preoperative model for predicting early recurrence in patients undergoing LR for single HCC.Materials and methodsWe identified 773 patients undergoing LR for single HCC between 2011 and 2017 from the cancer registry database of our institution. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to construct a preoperative model for predicting early recurrence, i.e., recurrence within 2 years of LR.ResultsEarly recurrence was identified in 219 patients (28.3%). The final model of early recurrence included four predictive factors—alpha-fetoprotein level of ≥20 ng/mL, tumor size of >30 mm, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score of >8, and cirrhosis. Preoperative application of this model provided three risk strata for recurrence-free survival (RFS): low risk, with 2-year RFS of 79.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 75.7–84.2%); intermediate risk, with 2-year RFS of 66.6% (95% CI: 61.1–72.6%); and high risk, with 2-year RFS of 51.1% (95% CI: 43.0–60.8%).ConclusionWe developed a preoperative model for predicting early recurrence after LR for single HCC. This model provides useful information for clinical decision-making.     

Clinical study of transarterial chemoembolization combined with 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Monotherapy is not very effective for intermediate or advanced stage HCC. Efficacy of combined therapy using transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3-DCRT) for advanced HCC should be evaluated.

Methods

HCC patients were selected from our patient database. The sequence of treatments that patients underwent was several courses of TACE followed in 2-4 weeks by 3-DCRT. The median tumor irradiation dose was 44Gy. Toxicity, tumor response, and overall survival rate were analyzed.

Results

140 HCC patients were followed up by the last follow-up time. Among these patients, hepatic toxicities due to treatment were notable in 15 cases. Gastrointestinal bleeding after the overall treatment occurred in 3 cases. Leukopenia of grade III was detected in 1 case. Radiation-induced liver disease (RILD) was observed in 3 patients. Among 140 patients, 27, 97, and 16 cases achieved partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease, respectively. The overall survival rates of 1-year, 3-years, and 5-years were 66%, 29%, and 13%, respectively, with a median survival time of 18 months. Both Child-Pugh grade and radiation dose were determined to be independent predictors for overall survival from multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

The combined modality of TACE and 3-DCRT is a promising treatment for unresectable HCC. A large-scale, prospective randomized trial should be performed to confirm the utility of this combined therapy.     

肝切除术治疗合并肝门静脉高压的肝细胞癌患者的疗效与安全性

背景与目的：肝细胞癌(hepatocellular carcinoma,HCC)患者肝硬化伴有肝门静脉高压的比例很高,肝门静脉高压明显增加肝切除术治疗中出血和术后肝功能衰竭的风险。本文旨在评价肝切除术治疗合并肝门静脉高压HCC患者的疗效、安全性,以及肝门静脉高压患者的肝切除术的适应证。方法：回顾性分析2006年1月—2010年12月接受肝切除术治疗的564例肝功能为Child-Pugh A级的HCC患者临床资料,其中486例患者无肝门静脉高压,剩余78例患者合并肝门静脉高压。经倾向性分析校正组间资料平衡后,按1：1比例对患者进行配对。比较两组接受肝切除术患者术后并发症、术后30和90 d死亡率、总生存率和复发率。根据巴塞罗那临床肝癌分期标准(Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging Classification,BCLC)和手术范围大小行亚组分析。结果：肝门静脉高压组患者的术后并发症、术后30和90 d死亡率均显著高于非肝门静脉高压组(P<0.05)。经随访(平均32.1个月),肝门静脉高压组和非肝门静脉高压组患者术后1、3、5年总生存率分别为75%、45%、32%和90%、66%、48%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.001);复发率分别为31%、57%、73%和26%、53%、67%,差异无统计学意义(P=0.53)。倾向性分析匹配后,两组患者总生存率和复发率相比,差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。亚组分析结果显示,在BCLC-A期和接受小范围肝切除术的两组患者中,总生存率的比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论：肝门静脉高压并非HCC患者行肝切除术治疗的绝对禁忌证。在合并肝门静脉高压的HCC患者中,BCLC-A期和预计行小范围肝切除术的患者可选择相应肝切除术。     

复合型栓塞剂在肝癌介入治疗中的价值

目的 探讨在肝癌的介入治疗中复合型栓塞剂的价值。方法 将原发性肝癌患者188例分为常规组103例,复合组85例。观察并比较两组的碘油沉积、有效率、手术切除、病理改变、生存率和并发症。结果 在巨块型、结节型的多血供肝癌患者中,碘油沉积表现为完全填充型和致密型。常规组和复合组碘油沉积分别为59．2％和89．4％;有效率（CR＋PR）两组分别为32．0％和56．5％;手术切除率分别为5．8％和15．3％;肿瘤完全坏死率分别为1．0％和4．7％。常规组1,2,3年生存率分别为57．7％、42．8％和8．4％,复合组1,2,3年生存率分别为79．8％、55．3％和38．5％,两组比较,差异有统计学意义。并发症两组间基本相同。结论 肝癌患者的介入治疗疗效与栓塞剂的用量及种类相关。对于巨块型、结节型的多血供肝癌患者,应提倡超选择复合栓塞治疗;少血供、弥漫型和不能超选择插管的肝癌患者应常规治疗。     

Nomograms for survival prediction in patients undergoing liver resection for hepatitis B virus related early stage hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundThe long-term outcomes of patients who underwent liver resection (LR) for early-stage hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) are difficult to predict. This study aimed to develop two nomograms to predict postoperative disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), respectively.MethodsData on a primary cohort of 1328 patients who underwent LR for HBV-related HCCs within Milan criteria at the Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital (EHBH) from 2000 to 2006 were used to develop the nomograms by the Cox regression analyses. An internal validation cohort of 442 patients operated from 2006 to 2011 at the EHBH and an external validation cohort of 474 patients operated from 2007 to 2009 at the Zhongshan Hospital were used for validation studies. Discrimination and calibration were measured using concordance index (C-index), calibration plots and Kaplan–Meier curves.ResultsThe independent predictors of DFS or OS which included tumour stage factors, biomarker and HBV–DNA level were respectively incorporated into the two nomograms. In the primary cohort, the C-indexes of the models in predicting DFS and OS were 0.76 (95% confidence interval: 0.75–0.78) and 0.79 (0.77–0.81), respectively. The calibration curves fitted well. Both nomograms accurately stratify patients into four distinct incremental prognostic subgroups. The C-indexes of the nomogram for OS prediction was significantly higher than those of the six conventional staging systems (0.65–0.71, all P < 0.001). These results were verified by the internal and external validations.ConclusionThe proposed nomograms showed good prognostication for patients with early HBV-related HCCs after hepatectomy.     

Outcomes of curative liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with cirrhosis

BACKGROUNDGiven the poor synthetic function of cirrhotic liver, successful resection for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) necessitates the ability to achieve resections with tumor free margins.AIMTo validate post hepatectomy liver failure score (PHLF), compare it to other established systems and to stratify risks in patients with cirrhosis who underwent curative liver resection for HCC. METHODSBetween December 2010 and January 2017, 120 patients underwent curative resection for HCC in patients with cirrhosis were included, the pre-operative, operative and post-operative factors were recorded to stratify patients'' risks of decompensation, survival, and PHLF.RESULTSThe preoperative model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score [odds ratio (OR) = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.2-5.7, P = 0.013], tumor diameter (OR = 5.4, 95%CI: 2-14.8, P = 0.001) and duration of hospital stay (OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.5-4.2, P = 0.001) were significant independent predictors of hepatic decompensation after resection. While the preoperative MELD score [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.16-1.62, P < 0.001] and different grades of PHLF (grade A: HR = 2.33, 95%CI: 0.59-9.24; Grade B: HR = 3.15, 95%CI: 1.11-8.95; Grade C: HR = 373.41, 95%CI: 66.23-2105.43; P < 0.001) and HCC recurrence (HR = 11.67, 95%CI: 4.19-32.52, P < 0.001) were significant independent predictors for survival.CONCLUSIONPreoperative MELD score and tumor diameter can independently predict hepatic decompensation. While, preoperative MELD score, different grades of PHLF and HCC recurrence can precisely predict survival.     

Two-stages resection for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

We performed two-stage resection for sixteen patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma from January, 1987 to July, 1991. All patients underwent various surgical therapies prior to resection which included gauze packing hemostasis in 1 case, hyperthermia plus radiotherapy in 1, hepatic arterial ligation in 2, operative hepatic arterial embolization in 3, and transcatheter embolization in 9. The median interval between the first therapy and tumour resection was 59 days with a range of 29--769 days, and the median diameter of tumours decreased from 10.5 cm to 7.5 cm. The majority of precedures on two-stage resection were irregular hepatectomy or Iobectomy under occlusion of porta hepatis. Regular hepatectomies were done in 4 cases. Pathalogical examination showed complete coagulation necrosis in 3 specimens. However, in the others were still found residual viable tumours. Survival periods of the patients who received two-stage resection were from 4 months to 4 years except 2 operative death. The significance, possibility as well as methods of two-stage resection were discussed.     

Recurrence after anatomic resection versus nonanatomic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: a meta-analysis

The impact of anatomic resection (AR) as compared to non-anatomic resection (NAR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a factor for preventing intra-hepatic and local recurrence after the initial surgical procedure remains controversial. A systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrandomized trials comparing anatomic resection with non-anatomic resection for HCC published from 1990 to 2010 in PubMed and Medline, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Science Citation Index were therefore performed. Intra-hepatic recurrence, including early and late, and local recurrence were considered as primary outcomes. As secondary outcomes, 5 year survival and 5 year disease-free survival were considered. Pooled effects were calculated utilizing either fixed effects or random effects models. Eleven non-randomized studies including 1,576 patients were identified and analyzed, with 810 patients in the AR group and 766 in the NAR group. Patients in the AR group were characterized by lower prevalence of cirrhosis, more favorable hepatic function, and larger tumor size and higher prevalence of macrovascular invasion compared with patients in the NAR group. Anatomic resection significantly reduced the risks of local recurrence and achieved a better 5 years disease-free survival. Also, anatomic resection was marginally effective for decreasing the early intra-hepatic recurrence. However, it was not advantageous in preventing late intra-hepatic recurrence compared with non-anatomic resection. No differences were found between AR and NAR with respect to postoperative morbidity, mortality, and hospitalization. Anatomic resection can be recommended as superior to non-anatomic resection in terms of reducing the risks of local recurrence, early intra-hepatic recurrence and achieving a better 5 year disease-free survival in HCC patients.     

Liver resections for hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic liver disease: experience in an Italian centre.

AIM: Liver resection (LR) and transplantation are the best options for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We retrospectively analysed the experience obtained with LR for HCC in chronic liver disease patients. METHODS: Up until May 2005, 248 patients with HCC were evaluated, and 113 resected. Of these, 97 with chronic liver disease, who underwent a total of 100 resections, form the basis of this study. Age of the patients was 65.6+/-9.2 years (range 32-81, male/female 76/21). In 77 cases there was unifocal and in 23 multinodular tumour; in 61 the size of the tumours was < or =5 cm and in 39>5 cm. Limited resections were performed in 15 cases, resections of 1-2 segments in 51, and major hepatectomies in 34. RESULTS: Blood transfusions were required in 28 cases. Three patients died postoperatively, from liver failure and/or sepsis. Seventeen patients had nonlethal complications (mostly liver dysfunction, often with signs of amplified inflammatory response, including ARDS, without evident sources of sepsis). The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 44% and 24%, respectively. Decreased survival was significantly related to increasing number of tumour nodules and degree of liver fibrosis/presence of cirrhosis, and with the expression of markers of carcinogenesis in a sub-group who received this assessment. At 5 years the rate of liver HCC recurrence was 46%, however, death was unrelated to recurrence in 41% of non-survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for HCC achieves acceptable early and long-term results. However, the patterns affecting perioperative outcome must be better understood, and the high recurrence rate warrants further trials to assess preventive treatments after LR.     

Microwave-assisted liver resection vs. clamp crushing liver resection in cirrhosis patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of microwave-ablation-assisted liver resection (MW-LR) and clamp crushing liver resection (CC-LR) in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Materials and methods: From July 2005 to January 2015, cirrhotic HCC patients who underwent CC-LR (n?=?191) or MW-LR (n?=?112) were retrospectively analysed. We compared morbidity, mortality, disease-free survival (DFS) time and overall survival time between the CC-LR and MW-LR groups.

Results: The blood loss volume was significantly higher in the CC-LR group (mean of 752?ml) than that in the MW-LR group (mean of 253?ml, p?p?=?0.029). The 30-day mortality rate (1.5% vs. 0.8%) and postoperative complication rate (32.9% vs. 25.0%) were both similar between the CC-LR and MW-LR groups. MW-LR provided a survival benefit over CC-LR at 1, 3 and 5 years in the entire population (93.5% vs. 87.0%, 77.0% vs. 62.5% and 50.0% vs. 36.5%, respectively; p?=?0.003). In a subgroup analysis, MW-LR provided a survival benefit over CC-LR for Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage A (BCLC-A) HCC (p?=?0.026) and stage B (BCLC-B) HCC (p?=?0.035) patients and provided DFS benefits for BCLC-A HCC patients (p?=?0.036).

Conclusions: MW-LR is a safe and feasible procedure for HCC patients with a cirrhotic liver history.     

Impact of spontaneous rupture on the survival outcomes after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: A propensity matched analysis comparing ruptured versus non-ruptured tumors

IntroductionSpontaneous rupture of HCC (srHCC) is a life-threatening sequela of HCC characterized by a high mortality. Liver resection (LR) is the ideal therapeutic strategy as it not only arrests hemorrhage but also remove the offending tumour. We sought to determine the impact of spontaneous rupture on the survival outcomes of patients after LR by performing a propensity score matched (PSM) analysis comparing patients who underwent LR for srHCC versus non-ruptured (nrHCC).MethodsFrom 2000 to 2015, a total of 67 patients who underwent LR for srHCC which met the study criteria were included. 1:2 PSM was performed comparing 49 of 67 patients with srHCC with 98 nrHCC selected from a cohort of 724 patients who underwent LR during the study period.ResultsMedian survival following LR for srHCC was 21.9 months, while 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) was 43.1% and 19.4% respectively. After 1:2 PSM analysis, there was no significant difference between LR for srHCC (n = 49) versus nrHCC (n-98) in terms of OS [21.9 (interquartile range (IQR), 11.8–44.0 vs 27.4 (IQR, 6.9–57.8) months, HR 1.02, CI 0.63–1.66, p = 0.94], DFS [11.8 (IQR, 5.6–25.6) vs 13.77 (IQR,4.5–34.9) HR 0.74, CI 0.54–1.02, p = 0.06] and length of stay [8 (IQR, 7–11) vs 7 (IQR, 6–10) HR 0.93, CI 0.0.68–1.29), p = 0.68].ConclusionLR for clinically stable patients with srHCC provides survival and recurrence outcomes that are comparable to patients with nrHCC.     

Significant impact of patient age on outcome after liver resection for HCC in cirrhosis

Objective

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide.The majority of patients with HCC have cirrhosis. Beside liver transplantation the resection is an established curative treatment option for patients with HCC in cirrhosis. However, the long term success is limited by a high tumor recurrence rate. Furthermore, by many patients surgical resection is restricted by poor liver function.The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of patient age on long term outcome after liver resection in patients with HCC in cirrhotic liver. Further purpose was to define the potential prognostic factors.

Patients and methods

The outcome of 141 patients with liver cirrhosis after curative resection was analyzed using a prospective database. Only patients with postoperative histological assurance of HCC were included in the database. Patients with fibrolamellar HCC were excluded.

Results

By patients below 70 years of age the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 78.5%, 56.5% and 47.1%. By patients over 70 years the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 59.9%, 40.3% and 6.7%. Cumulative survival of the total collective was significant influenced by patient age, Clavien grade, positive lymph vessels, mechanical ventilation and BMI. The overall postoperative morbidity was 44.7%. No intraoperative deaths were observed, but 11 patients (8 older than 70 and 3 younger than 70 years) died during the hospital stay. Clavien grade correlated with preoperative increased GGT, need for intraoperative blood and fresh frozen plasma transfusion.

Conclusions

Patient age and postoperative complications are more relevant for the outcome than many tumor factors, especially by patients over 70 years of age. In contrast, the prognosis of patients below 70 years of age is significantly better and a 5 year survival rate above 50% could be shown in our patients. However, by carefully selected elderly patients with HCC in cirrhosis an acceptable long term survival is reachable.     

Anatomical vs nonanatomical liver resection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUNDThe long-term survival of patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following anatomical resection (AR) vs non-anatomical resection (NAR) is still controversial. It is necessary to investigate which approach is better for patients with solitary HCC.AIMTo compare perioperative and long-term survival outcomes of AR and NAR for solitary HCC.METHODSWe performed a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), and Cochrane Library. Participants of any age and sex, who underwent liver resection, were considered following the following criteria: (1) Studies reporting AR vs NAR liver resection; (2) Studies focused on primary HCC with a solitary tumor; (3) Studies reporting the long-term survival outcomes (> 5 years); and (4) Studies including patients without history of preoperative treatment. The main results were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Perioperative outcomes were also compared.RESULTSA total of 14 studies, published between 2001 and 2020, were included in our meta-analysis, including 9444 patients who were mainly from China, Japan, and Korea. AR was performed on 4260 (44.8%) patients. The synthetic results showed that the 5-year OS [odds ratio (OR): 1.19; P < 0.001] and DFS (OR: 1.26; P < 0.001) were significantly better in the AR group than in the NAR group. AR was associated with longer operating time [mean difference (MD): 47.08; P < 0.001], more blood loss (MD: 169.29; P = 0.001), and wider surgical margin (MD = 1.35; P = 0.04) compared to NAR. There was no obvious difference in blood transfusion ratio (OR: 1.16; P = 0.65) or postoperative complications (OR: 1.24, P = 0.18).CONCLUSIONAR is superior to NAR in terms of long-term outcomes. Thus, AR can be recommended as a reasonable surgical option in patients with solitary HCC.     

The role of liver resection in the management of intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma. A systematic review

Background

The ideal management for patients with intermediate and advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is controversial. The main purpose of this systematic review is to examine the role of liver resection in patients with intermediate stage HCC (multinodular HCCs) and in advanced stage HCC [mainly patients with portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT)].

经导管动脉化疗栓塞治疗肝细胞癌的疗效观察

目的研究经导管动脉化疗栓塞（TACE）治疗肝细胞癌（HCC）的疗效及对HCC预后的影响。方法经手术病理证实的HCC患者139例,其中TACE组81例,单纯手术组58例。用末端脱氧核苷转移酶介导的d—UTP毛地黄毒素缺口末端标记（TUNEL）法检测凋亡细胞,用免疫组化检测各标本bcl-2、bax、p53、增殖细胞核抗原（PCNA）和Ki-67蛋白表达,分析两组的肿瘤标志物改变、肿瘤坏死、包膜形成、体积、复发转移率及累计生存率。结果TACE可使肿瘤包膜形成、体积缩小,引起肿瘤坏死,诱导细胞凋亡,导致增殖转移潜能下降。TACE组患者的中位生存期为803．3d,1,2,3年生存率分别为84．0％、67．9％和40．7％;单纯手术组患者的中位生存期为742．5d,1,2,3年生存率分别为72．4％、55．2％和24．1％（P〈0．05）。结论TACE治疗HCC安全有效,可改善患者的生存率。     

Prevention of intrahepatic recurrence by adjuvant (131)iodine-labeled lipiodol after resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in HCV-related cirrhosis.

AIM: To evaluate the impact of postoperative injection into the hepatic artery of 131-iodine-labeled lipiodol on disease-free and overall survival rates in patients who underwent liver surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Ten consecutive patients with HCV (hepatitis C virus)-related cirrhosis who underwent liver surgical resection for hepatocellular carcinoma were treated with adjuvant injection of 131-iodine-labeled lipiodol. They were matched with 20 HCV-positive cirrhotic controls who underwent liver resection alone; patients were paired in terms of age, Child-Pugh class, tumor size, microscopic vascular invasion, tumor histological pattern, presence of satellite nodules and type of surgical resection. Recurrence was defined as the development of a new hypervascularizated nodule in the liver. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the two groups in clinical, biologic and histologic characteristics, except a lower platelet count in the control group. None of the treated patients developed an intrahepatic recurrence until the 15th month from liver resection, whereas recurrences occurred in nine of the 20 patients in the control group (p=0.01). From 18 months onwards, recurrences appeared also in the treated patients, and after 36 months of follow-up both recurrence rate and overall survival were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intrahepatic injection of 131-iodine-labeled lipiodol improves the disease-free survival rate following liver resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in the short term up to 15 months; this advantage fades, however, away after 36 months.     

Tumor size of hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic liver: A controversial predictive factor for outcome after resection

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic liver (NC-HCC) presents usually with large size, which is seen as a contraindication to liver transplantation (LT) or even resection. The objective of our single-center study was to identify prognostic factors following resection of large NC-HCCs and to subsequently devise a treatment strategy (including LT) in selected patients.

Methods

From 2000 to 2010, 89 patients who had hepatic resection for NC-HCC (large ≥8 cm in 52) were analyzed with regard to pathological findings, postoperative and long-term outcome.

Results

Five patients died postoperatively. After a mean follow-up of 35 ± 30 months, NC-HCC recurred in 36 patients (26/47 survivors in group 8 cm+, 10/37 in group 8 cm−; p = 0.007). Five-year overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were significantly worse for group 8 cm+ (43.4% vs. 89.2% and 39.3% vs. 60.7% for group 8 cm−, p < 0.05). Seven patients underwent re-hepatectomy and/or LT for isolated intrahepatic recurrence, with 5-year DFS of 57.1%. In a multivariate analysis, the factors associated with poor OS and DFS were vascular invasion and tumor size ≥8 cm in the overall population and vascular invasion, fibrosis and satellite nodules in group 8 cm+. Adjuvant transarterial chemotherapy was a protective factor in group 8 cm+. In 22 isolated NC-HCC cases with no vascular invasion or fibrosis, tumor size had no impact on five-year DFS (85%).

Conclusions

Although patients with NC-HCC ≥8 cm had a poorer prognosis, the absence of vascular invasion or fibrosis was associated with excellent survival, regardless of the tumor size. In recurrent patients, aggressive treatment (including LT) can be considered.     

Long-term survival and postoperative complications of pre-liver transplantation transarterial chemoembolisation in hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectivesThe aim of this meta-analysis was to conduct a contemporary systematic review of high quality non-randomised controlled trials to determine the effect of pre-liver transplantation (LT) transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) on long-term survival and complications of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.BackgroundTACE is used as a neoadjuvant therapy to mitigate waitlist drop-out for patients with HCC awaiting LT. Previous studies have conflicting conclusions on the effect of TACE on long-term survival and complications of HCC patients undergoing LT.MethodsCINAHL, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science were systematically searched. Baseline characteristics included number of patients outside Milan criteria, tumour diameter, MELD score, and time on the waiting list. Primary outcomes included 3- and 5-year overall and disease-free survival. Secondary outcomes included tumour recurrence, 30-day postoperative mortality, and hepatic artery and biliary complications.ResultsTwenty-one high-quality NRCTs representing 8242 patients were included. Tumour diameter was significantly larger in TACE patients (3.49 cm vs 3.15 cm, P = 0.02) and time on the waiting list was significantly longer in TACE patients (4.87 months vs 3.46 months, P = 0.05), while MELD score was significantly higher in non-TACE patients (10.81 vs 12.35, P = 0.005). All primary and secondary outcomes displayed non-significant differences.ConclusionPatients treated with TACE had similar survival and postoperative outcomes to non-TACE patients, however, they had worse prognostic features compared to non-TACE patients. These findings strongly support the current US and European clinical practice guidelines that neoadjuvant TACE can be used for patients with longer expected waiting list times (specifically >6 months). Randomised controlled trials would be needed to increase the quality of evidence.