How to improve the outcome in patients with AJCC stage I hepatocellular carcinoma.

AIM: Survival of patients with stage I hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is higher than in patients with more advanced disease, however many of them will ultimately die of tumor recurrence and liver failure. Our objective focuses on identifying the pathological and clinical factors that could affect disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS). In addition we reviewed the treatment offered for recurrence and its impact on OS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1992 and December 2002, a total of 473 patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC at the Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital were enrolled in this study. Relevant clinicopathological and perioperative variables were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 224 patients with a mean follow-up period of 4.6 years were analyzed. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year DFS rates were 82.5%, 57.6%, 46.9% and 32.0% respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year OS rates were 91.5%, 83.0%, 70.1% and 56.3% respectively. The multivariate analysis identified age >50 years, Indocyanine Green (ICG) clearance test and cirrhosis as independent factors that negatively impact DFS and age ≥ 50 years, resection type, presence of complications and tumor recurrence as factors affecting OS. In patients with recurrence (n=130), the factors that negatively impact OS were blood transfusion, age ≥ 50, blood loss and presence of surgical complications. CONCLUSION: Meticulous surgical technique is the key to improving the outcome of patients with stage I HCC. The presence of complications was the only modifiable clinicopathological factor that affected the OS in our study.

Perioperative factors affecting long-term outcomes of 473 consecutive patients undergoing hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Between January 1993 and December 2002, a total of 473 patients underwent hepatectomy for HCC at a medical center in Taiwan. Clinicopathological and surgical characteristics were studied to identify prognostic factors influencing survival. RESULTS: There were 379 men (80.1%) with mean +/- standard deviation age of 53.1 +/- 13.1 years. The etiology of HCC was hepatitis B (n = 277), hepatitis C (n = 90), coinfection with hepatitis B and C (n = 47), and non-B or C hepatitis (n = 50). The blood loss was 282.3 +/- 370.5 ml, and 411 patients (86.9%) did not require perioperative blood transfusion. On univariate analysis, the statistically significant independent factors for disease-free survival were alfa-fetoprotein (AFP) levels of >400 ng/ml, indocyanine green retention of >10%, Pringle maneuver, blood transfusion, tumor diameter >5 cm, bilateral tumors, microvascular invasion, adjacent tissue invasion, daughter nodules and cirrhotic liver. The univariate factors influencing overall survival were similar to those influencing disease-free survival except for AFP. Independent factors that statistically significantly affected overall survival on multivariate analysis included Pringle maneuver, blood transfusion, tumor diameter >3 cm, microvascular invasion, daughter nodules, and liver cirrhosis. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year disease-free survival were 75.3, 43.3, and 22.3%, respectively. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival were 86.7, 55, and 33.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: AFP, indocyanine green retention of >10%, blood transfusion, Pringle maneuver, tumor diameter of >3 cm, bilateral tumors, microvascular invasion, adjacent tissue invasion, daughter nodules, and liver cirrhosis influence survival.