Clinic predictors of efficacy and adverse events of sorafenib therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinic predictors of efficacy and adverse events of sorafenib in treating with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From December 2008 to October 2011, 54 patients received sorafenib for unresectable or metastatic HCC. There were 46 male and 8 female patients. The mean age was 48.7 years (ranging from 21 to 77 years). Patients received sorafenib orally 400 mg twice daily on a continuous dosing schedule with 6 weeks counting as a single cycle. Tumor response was assessed according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor and toxicity grading was performed using the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 3.0. The relationship between different clinic variable factors and curative effects of sorafenib was analyzed by using Cox proportion hazard regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>HCC was etiological related to HBV in 52 patients (96.3%). Following sorafenib therapy, 2 patients (3.7%) achieved a partial response and 24 patients (44.4%) achieved stable disease, with a disease control rate of 48.1%. The median time to progression (TTP) was 3.8 months. Multivariate analysis showed that greater Child and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade were independent predictors of shorter TTP (HR = 1.361, 95%CI: 1.081 - 12.665, P = 0.041; HR = 1.449, 95%CI: 1.151 - 12.305, P = 0.032). The common adverse events were hand-foot syndrome (64.8%), alopecia (46.3%), and diarrhea (44.4%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Single-agent sorafenib demonstrates good efficacy and acceptable tolerability in treating advanced HCC. The presents of Child class A and ECOG performance grade 0 predict better response to sorafenib in advanced HCC patients.</p>

Combination with vascular resection and reconstruction in resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of vascular resection and reconstruction in resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 17 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma received resection in combination with vascular resection and reconstruction from January 2000 to September 2009 was retrospectively analyzed. Among the 17 patients, 6 underwent portal vein segmental resection and end-to-end anastomosis, 3 underwent portal vein wedge resection, 1 underwent hepatic artery ligature, 2 underwent hepatic artery segmental resection and end-to-end anastomosis, 1 underwent portal vein arterialization, 1 underwent portal vein wedge resection and hepatic artery ligature simultaneously, 2 underwent portal vein segmental resection and hepatic artery segmental resection and end-to-end anastomosis simultaneously, 1 underwent portal vein segmental resection and right hepatic artery and gastroduodenal artery end-to-end anastomosis simultaneously.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Four patients died and the mortality was 4/17. Three patients died of renal dysfunction followed with multiple organ dysfunction and 1 patient died of sepsis shock. Among the 13 survive patients, 6 had a smooth postoperative recover and 7 developed complications: 3 had bile leakage, 1 had respiratory failure, 1 had cholangitis due to obstruction of U tube, 1 had abdominal infection and thrombosis in portal vein system and 1 had portal vein stenosis and liver abscess. Follow-up investigation showed that the median survival time was 18 months and four patients still alive.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Combination of vascular resection and reconstruction in the resection of hilar cholangiocarcinoma may help to improve the resection rate but still have a high postoperative risk. The complications of renal dysfunction should be alert during the postoperative observation. The procedure of hepatic arterial reconstruction may help to reduce postoperative morbidity.</p>

The impact of preoperative biliary drainage on surgical morbidity in hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the impact of preoperative biliary drainage on surgical morbidity in hilar cholangiocarcinoma patients underwent surgery.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and eleven consecutive patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma whose serum total bilirubin (TBIL) level > 85 micromol/L and underwent surgery in the period from June 1998 to August 2007 were enrolled. There were 67 male and 44 female patients, aged from 26 to 82 years old with a mean of 56 years old.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fifty-five patients underwent preoperative biliary drainage with a mean of 11.4 d of drainage period (drainage group), the other (n = 56) were the non-drainage group. The preoperative TBIL level of drainage group was (154 +/- 69) micromol/L, which was significantly lower than the value of pre-drainage (256 +/- 136) micromol/L (P = 0.000) and the value of non-drainage group (268 +/- 174) micromol/L (P = 0.005). ALT and GGT levels could be lowered by preoperative biliary drainage. The postoperative complications of these two groups were comparable (36.3% vs. 28.6%, P = 0.381). Four patients in drainage group and 5 patients in non-drainage group died of liver failure. Multivariate logistic regression indicated that hepatectomy (OR = 0.284, P = 0.003) was the independent risk factor associated with postoperative morbidity. Bismuth-Corlette classification (OR = 0.211, P = 0.028) was the independent risk factor linked to postoperative mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Preoperative biliary drainage could alleviate liver injury due to hyperbilirubin, but it could not decrease the surgical morbidity and postoperative mortality. Concomitant hepatectomy and Bismuth-Corlette classification were independent risk factors linked to surgical risks.</p>

Efficacy of postoperative chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy for hepatocellular carcinoma with major portal vein tumor thrombus / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy of surgical treatment combined with immunochemotherapy via portal vein for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with major portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Between January 2001 and December 2005 76 HCC patients with tumor thrombus in portal trunk and (or) the first-order branch were recruited into the study. Patients were divided into group A (n = 29) and B (n = 47). Patients in group A were treated with hepatectomy plus portal thrombectomy in combination with postoperative adjuvant immunochemotherapy administered via portal vein. The immunochemotherapy regimen consisted of 5-Fluorouracil, Adriamycin, platinol and alpha-Interferon (PIAF). Patients in group B were subjected to hepatectomy plus thrombectomy alone. Survival rates were compared between two groups, and prognostic factors were identified.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Half-, One-, two- and three-year cumulative survival rates were markedly greater in group A than group B, being 82.3% vs 52.7%, 46.5% vs 20.2%, 14.3% vs 5.8%, 14.3% vs 5.8%, respectively. Group A had a significantly longer median survival time and median tumor-free survival time as compared with group B, being 11.5 months vs 6.0 months (P = 0.010), 4.5 months vs 2.4 months (P = 0.032), respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that immunochemotherapy, pathological grading and tumor size were independent factors for survival times. And immunochemotherapy and pathological grading were independent factors for tumor-free survival time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Surgical resection combined with adjuvant immunochemotherapy via portal vein represents as an effective modality for HCC with PVTT.</p>

Experience of surgical resection of 103 hilar cholangiocarcinoma / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the experience of surgical resection of 103 hilar cholangiocarcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and three consecutive cases of hilar cholangiocarcinoma who underwent surgical resection at our hospital over the past ten years were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical data and long-term outcome were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Out of 103 cases, 43 patients underwent radical resection (41.7%), and 60 patients underwent palliative resection. There were 34 patients developed postoperative complications and 8 patients died in hospital. For the radical resection group, the median survival time was 29.9 months and 1-year, 3-year, 5-year survival rate was 69.6%, 42.0%, 20.9%, respectively, which was significant greater than 34.1%, 10.2%, 0 of the palliative resection group (P < 0.05). Over the past five years, 42 cases underwent pre-operative drainage of bile and the rate of combined liver resection reached 53.8%. The tumor radical resection rate has increased to 45.7%, the median survival time have reached 24.7 months (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Improvement of pre-operative management, intraoperative pathology for resection margin, and combined liver resection may help in increasing the radical resection rate. Radical resection can improve postoperative survival, and produce a satisfactory outcome for patient with hepatic hilar cholangiocarcinoma.</p>

Ultrasound-guided percutaneous composite thermal ablation technique in treatment of medium and large hepatocellular carcinoma / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical values of ultrasound-guided percutaneous composite thermal ablation technique in the treatment of medium and large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>By the composite technique of multiple-needle insertion and multi-point energy application, ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation (MWA) were employed to treat 68 patients of HCC with tumor nodule > or = 3.1 cm in diameter. There was a total number of 73 tumor nodules, with a mean diameter of (4.5 +/- 1.7) cm (3.1-13.0 cm). Sixty-three patients had single tumor nodule, and the remaining 5 had 2 nodules. With a follow-up time of 1.9 - 67.6 months [(16.0 +/- 14.8) months], the local and long-term efficacy was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Hepatic subcapsular hematoma were found in 1 patient. And skin burning in 1 patient 1. Complete ablation rate was 78.1% (57/73), local tumor progression was presented in 24.6% tumor nodules (14/57) and distant recurrence developed in 56.7% patients (38/67). The 1-, 3-, 5-years survival rate was 62.3%, 29.6% and 21.6%, respectively, with a median survival time of 18.6 months, (95% confidence interval: 10.9 months, 26.3 months). There were no remarkable differences in complete ablation rate, local tumor progression, distant recurrence rate and survival rate between RFA and MWA.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>By the composite ablation technique, ultrasound-guided percutaneous thermal ablation was effective in treating medium and large unresectable HCC. And the advantage is minimal invasiveness. RFA and MWA had no marked differences in terms of therapeutic efficacy.</p>

Application of ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in treatment of liver cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the therapeutic efficacy and its influencing factors of ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (PRFA) in the treatment of liver carcinoma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>With a temperature-controlled multi-electrode needle, ultrasound-guided PRFA was employed to treat forty-seven patients with 67 tumor nodules, with a diameter of 2.6 +/- 1.1 cm (1.0 - 5.5 cm).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A complete ablation (CA) rate of 80.6% was achieved in the present series, with a CA rate of 91.7% in the tumors < or = 3 cm in diameter, 75.0% in tumors from 3.1 to 4.0 cm, and 14.3% in tumors > 4 cm. The CA rate was significantly greater in tumors with a temperature rising up to 70 degrees C within the initial 2 minutes at ablation as compared with that longer than 2 minutes (P < 0.05). A markedly higher CA rate was obtained in tumors with an ablation-maintaining temperature of over 80 degrees C than that between 70 degrees C and 80 degrees C (P < 0.01). All patients were followed up with a mean time of 11.3 months. The local recurrence rate was 9.3% (5/54), and 1-year survival rate was 82.1%. Eighteen patients (38.3%) had a distant recurrence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The tumor size, temperature-rising time and ablation-maintaining temperature represented the important factors affecting the therapeutic efficacy of PRFA.</p>