Complete laparoscopic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of complete laparoscopic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods 25 patients with recurrent liver cancer were treated by surgery in our hospital from June 2014 to November 2014. There were 12 patients (the laparoscopic group) who underwent laparoscopic liver resection and 13 patients (the control group) who underwent open surgery. The ope-ration time, intraoperative blood loss and pain scores were compared between the two groups. All the patients were followed up for 1 year. Results All the patients were successfully treated. The two groups (laparoscopic vs control) had significant differences in operation time [(117.7±39.5)min vs (149.2±49.7)min, P<0.05], intraoperative blood loss [(117.5±39.5)ml vs (276.9±170.3)ml, P<0.05] and pain scores (P<0.05). The recurrence rates and relapse-free survivals were not significantly different. In the laparoscopic group, patients with contralateral and ipsilateral recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma were compared. There were significant differences in intraoperative blood loss [(51.7±16.0)ml vs (183.3±136.6)ml, P<0.05] and length of hospital stay [(4.6±0.7)d vs (6.2±1.6)d, P<0.05] between these two subgroups. Conclusion For recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma, total laparoscopic hepatectomy has the advantages over open hepatectomy in shorter operation time, less blood loss and faster postoperative recovery, especially for patients with ipsilateral recurrence. Key words: Laparoscopy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Recurrence; Hepatectomy