Outcome of Hepatic Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a partial hepatic resection for a hepatoma, to elucidate the recurrence patterns and to identify the prognostic factors, as the standard treatment option for the selected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on 201 HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection in Korea Cancer Center Hospital (KCCH) from September 1987 to August 2001. They consisted of 158 men and 43 women whose median age was 51 years (range 24~73) and median follow-up period was 76.3 months. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method, Log-rank test and Cox regression hazard model using SPSS 10.0 for Windows. RESULTS: Three patients died without discharge due to 2 hepatic failures and one multiple organ failure. Therefore, the in-hospital mortality rate was 1.5% (3/201). The 5 year overall survival rate and disease free survival rate were 56.3% and 42.8%, respectively. Eighty patients developed recurrences at various sites, of which remnant liver was the most common site (60.8%) and 3 year survival rate after a recurrence was 24.7%. The independent prognostic factors for overall survival rate were venous invasion, multiplicity, TNM stage, an ICG-R15 and transfusion. CONCLUSION: Partial hepatic resection plays a significant role for selected HCC patients and is regarded as an effective treatment modality with acceptable mortality. However, postoperative recurrence still remains a unresolved crux. A recurrence amenable to retreatment should be detected through a diligent follow-up study. For the high risk patients, further study including adjuvant therapy is needed to reduce the recurrence rate.