title: Clinicopathologic features of long-term survivors and disease-free survivors after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma: a study of a prospective cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to clarify the clinicopathologic features of long-term survivors and disease-free survivors after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinicopathologic features of 5-year survivors and disease-free survivors were elucidated in a cohort of 230 patients prospectively observed for > 5 years (64 to 192 months) after curative resection of HCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of 5-year overall and disease-free survivors were 37% (85 of 230) and 20% (45 of 230), respectively. Clinicopathologic features associated with 5-year survivors included female sex (P =.024), preoperative serum albumin > or= 40 g/L (P =.033), AST < 50 u/L (P =.001), tumor < 5 cm (P =.001), solitary tumor (P =.035), encapsulated tumor (P =.021), no venous invasion (P =.001), no microsatellite nodule (P =.001), and early pathologic tumor-node-metastasis (pTNM) stage (I or II, P <.001). Features favoring 5-year disease-free survivors were preoperative serum AST < 50 u/L (P =.007), tumor < 5 cm (P =.005), encapsulated tumor (P =.007), no venous invasion (P <.001), no microsatellite nodule (P =.001), and early pTNM stage (I or II, P <.001). By multivariate analysis, pTNM stage was the only significant predictive factor for both overall and disease-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that long-term disease-free survival > 5 years after resection of HCC can be achieved in patients with favorable tumor characteristics. Early pTNM stage was the most reliable predictor of both long-term overall and disease-free survivors.
authors.affiliation: Center for Study of Liver Disease, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong Medical Center, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China. poontp@hkucc.hku.hk
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: I O
authors.initials: IO
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies