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Significance of anatomic resection for early and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

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Abstract

Purpose

Although it remains controversial whether local ablation or surgery is better for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), surgical resection is the first choice for advanced HCC. Anatomic hepatic resection is the preferred procedure to improve prognosis, but to date, its superiority has been demonstrated only for early-stage HCC. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of anatomic resection in advanced HCC in which surgical resection is the first choice.

Methods

The prognosis of 210 patients who underwent curative resection for primary HCC was analyzed. Sixty-three patients with no more than three tumors, none of which were larger than 3 cm in diameter, and with no macroscopic vascular invasion were classified as early HCC (group E); the other 147 patients were classified as advanced HCC (group A).

Results

The 5-year survival rate was better in group E (73% vs. 55%, P < 0.01), but the 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was equivalent between the two groups (E vs. A; 30% vs. 32%, P = 0.19). Multivariate analysis showed that independent predictors of good survival in group E were indocyanine green retention rate at 15 min ≤20% [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.30; 95% confidential interval (CI),  0.10–0.88) and tumor differentiation grade of well or moderate or complete necrosis (HR = 0.14; 95% CI,  0.03–0.95), while predictors in group A were anatomic resection (HR = 0.48; 95% CI,  02.27–0.85) and no macroscopic vascular invasion (HR = 0.35; 95% CI,  0.17–0.72).

Conclusion

For advanced HCC, anatomic resection should be performed to improve patient prognosis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Cancer Institute Hospital, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, 135-8550, Japan

    Yoji Kishi, Akio Saiura, Rintaro Koga, Makoto Seki, Ryo Morimura, Ryuji Yoshioka & Toshiharu Yamaguchi

  2. Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, National Defense Medical College Hospital, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan

    Junji Yamamoto

  3. Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Norihiro Kokudo

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  1. Yoji Kishi
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  2. Akio Saiura
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Correspondence to Yoji Kishi.

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Kishi, Y., Saiura, A., Yamamoto, J. et al. Significance of anatomic resection for early and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Langenbecks Arch Surg 397, 85–92 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-011-0844-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00423-011-0844-1

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