Reevaluation of prognostic factors for survival after liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in a Japanese nationwide survey.
BACKGROUND
Advances in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have improved the prognosis for patients with HCC who undergo liver resection. The objective of this study was to evaluate prognostic predictors for patients with HCC who underwent liver resection in a Japanese nationwide data base.


METHODS
In this study, the authors analyzed 12,118 patients with HCC in a Japanese nationwide data base who underwent liver resection between 1990 and 1999 and compared them with a previous analysis of patients between 1982 and 1989. All patients were evaluated for prognostic factors.


RESULTS
During the last decade, the increases in patients who were without hepatitis B virus surface antigen, who had small tumors, and who had portal vein invasion were noted. The 5-year overall survival rates for patients with HCC improved to 50.5%, compared with < 40% in the previous analysis. A multivariate analysis using a stratified Cox proportional hazards model according to associated liver disease indicated that age, degree of liver damage, alpha-fetoprotein level, maximal tumor dimension, number of tumors, intrahepatic extent of tumor, extrahepatic metastasis, portal vein invasion, hepatic vein invasion, surgical curability, and free surgical margins were independent prognostic predictors for patients with HCC. Operative mortality decreased from 2.3% in 1990-1991 to 0.6% in 1998-1999.


CONCLUSIONS
Outcomes and operative mortality rates in patients with HCC improved during the last decade. Age, degree of liver damage, alpha-fetoprotein level, maximal tumor dimension, number of tumors, intrahepatic extent of tumor, extrahepatic metastasis, portal vein invasion, hepatic vein invasion, surgical curability, and free surgical margins were prognostic factors for patients with HCC who underwent liver resection.
Ikai
Iwao
I
Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. ikai@kuhp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Arii
Shigeki
S
Kojiro
Masamichi
M
Ichida
Takafumi
T
Makuuchi
Masatoshi
M
Matsuyama
Yutaka
Y
Nakanuma
Yasuni
Y
Okita
Kiwamu
K
Omata
Masao
M
Takayasu
Kenichi
K
Yamaoka
Yoshio
Y
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000032:analysis
D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins