ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: A spontaneous rupture is a rare but life-threatening complication in patients with a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Whether this condition has any influence on the subsequent outcome following a resection is unclear. Therefore, the long-term results of liver resection were compared in patients with and without a tumor rupture. METHOD: This retrospective study was conducted on 17 patients with a spontaneous rupture of an HCC out of 256 with an HCC who underwent hepatic resection. RESULTS: Reduced hemoglobin and albumin, as well as increased leukocytosis, a poor Child Class, large tumor and portal vein tumor thrombosis were more frequent clinical findings in patients with a ruptured HCC. The postoperative complication and extrahepatic recurrence rates were similar between the two groups. The 1- and 3- year survival rates in the 17 patients with a ruptured HCC were 41.2 and 17.7%, respectively, while these were 80.3 and 48.3%, respectively, in the 239 patients without a rupture. However, when these patients were compared exclusively with the 8 patients with a corresponding AJCC/UICC 6th ed. TNM stage IIIB disease without a rupture (50 and 0%, respectively), no significant difference was found in the overall survival rates between the groups. CONCLUSION: The surgical outcomes of stage matched patients with and without a ruptured HCC were similar.