Surgical treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma: a 20-year clinical experience in 7566 patients.

Abstract

Objective To summarize the clinical experienee in surgical treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The clinical data of 7566 HCC patients who had been admitted to Research Institute of Liver Cancer of Fudan University from January 1988 to Deeember 2007 were retrospectively analyzed. The overall survival and recurrence free survival (RFS) rates were eaeulated with Kaplan-Meier survival curve. All the data were analyzed using Log-rank test and Cox regression model. Results The 3-, 5-, 10-year overall survival and RFS rates of 7164 patients with HCC resection were 56.29%, 41.76%, 26.70%, and 63.92%, 56.12%, 42.97%, respectively, and the perioperative mortality was 1.54%. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates of patients with small HCC (diameter 5 cm) (X2 =535. 568, P <0.01). The 5-year overall survival rotes of HCC patients with resection after down-staging (n = 110), re-resection after recurrence (n = 515), and tumor thrombus in portal vein (n = 168) were 51.26%, 67.28% and 26.81%, respectively; nd the 5-year DFS rotes were 77.44%, 13.01% (calculated from the first operation) and 34.90%, respectively. The 3- and 5-year overall survival and DFS rates of 402 patients who had undergone liver transplantation were 60.81%, 55.63% and 64.47%, 58.52%. The independent prognostic factors influencing the overall survival and DFS rates were the size, number and differentiation of HCC and intrahepatic vessel invasion (X2 = 200.539, 27. 536, 96.964,216. 156, P <0.01). Conclusions Early screening, improved safety of surgery, combined therapy and breakthrough in the reseaeh of preventing HCC metastasis and reeurrenee will significantly improve the treatment outcome of HCC. Key words: Liver neoplasms; Hepatectomy; Liver transplantation; Prognosis; Neoplasm metastasis; Recurrence