Radical hepatectomy in patients with initially unresectable liver cancer after conversion therapy / 中华普通外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of radical surgery after successful conversion therapy for liver cancer.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 10 patients with liver cancer who underwent successful conversion therapy and subsequent radical surgery in Peking University People's Hospital from Nov 2019 to Dec 2021.Results:The median age of the 10 patients was 64 (51.25,68.50) years. The median number of conversion therapy cycles was 11 (4.75,25.00). No serious adverse reactions were found in the patients during conversion therapy. After conversion therapy, 8 patients underwent partial hepatectomy, and 2 patients underwent radiofrequency ablation. Postoperative complications occurred in 4 patients. All complications were classified as Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅰ or Ⅱ. The median follow-up time was 13 (9.75,49.75) weeks. Three patients had tumor recurrence after surgery. Among the patients with tumor recurrence, 1 patient died of liver failure.Conclusions:Conversion therapy is an effective treatment for patients with clinically unresectable liver cancer. The incidence of serious adverse reactions in conversion therapy for liver cancer is low. The radical surgery can be safely performed in patients with good general condition and liver function. Radical surgery after conversion therapy can prolong the survival time of patients for unresectable liver cancer.