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Outcomes of Salvage Liver Transplantation and Re-resection/Radiofrequency Ablation for Intrahepatic Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A New Surgical Strategy Based on Recurrence Pattern

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Abstract

Background

The treatment of intrahepatic recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been poorly investigated, and the optimal treatment strategy remains unclear.

Aims

The aim of this study was to compare outcomes between salvage liver transplantation (SLT) and re-resection (RR)/radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for intrahepatic recurrent HCC according to recurrence pattern.

Methods

Based on postoperative histopathological examination, 122 patients with intrahepatic recurrent HCC were divided into an intrahepatic metastasis (IM, n = 75) group and a multicentric occurrence (MO, n = 47) group. The demographic, clinical, and primary and recurrent tumor characteristics of the IM group and the MO group were collected and compared. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were analyzed, and subgroup analysis according to retreatment type (SLT vs. RR/RFA) was conducted. Twenty-nine clinicopathological variables potentially related to prognostic factors affecting survival were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazard model.

Results

The patients that received SLT treatment exhibited favorable DFS compared to patients that received RR/RFA (P = 0.002). OS (P < 0.001) and DFS (P = 0.008) rates were significantly increased in the MO group compared with in the IM group. Subgroup analysis revealed that DFS was significantly improved for patients in the MO group treated with SLT compared to patients treated with RR/RFA (P = 0.017). Recurrence pattern was an independent prognostic factor for both OS [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.093, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.026–0.337, P < 0.001] and DFS (HR = 0.318, 95% CI: 0.125–0.810, P = 0.016; HR = 3.334, 95% CI: 1.546–7.18, P = 0.002).

Conclusions

For patients with intrahepatic recurrent HCC, an MO recurrence pattern is associated with better long-term outcomes than the IM pattern. SLT is the preferred option for intrahepatic recurrent HCC, especially for MO cases.

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Acknowledgments

This work was in part supported by Grant from the National Science and Technology Key Projects (2017ZX10203207-003-002) and Scientific and Technological Support Project of Sichuan Province (2016SZ0025 and 2015SZ0049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Liver Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Guoxuexiang 37, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China

    Xiaoyun Zhang, Chuan Li, Tianfu Wen, Wei Peng, Lunan Yan & Jiayin Yang

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  1. Xiaoyun Zhang
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  2. Chuan Li
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  3. Tianfu Wen
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  4. Wei Peng
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Correspondence to Tianfu Wen.

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Zhang, X., Li, C., Wen, T. et al. Outcomes of Salvage Liver Transplantation and Re-resection/Radiofrequency Ablation for Intrahepatic Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A New Surgical Strategy Based on Recurrence Pattern. Dig Dis Sci 63, 502–514 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-017-4861-y

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