Ten-year survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.
OBJECTIVE
The characteristics in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who survive more than 10 years after hepatectomy remain unclear.


METHODS
Eighty-five cases of hepatocellular carcinoma were retrospectively identified as short-term survivors (S-group: <5 years, n=41), medium-term survivors (M-group: > or =5 and <10 years, n=25), and long-term survivors (L-group: > or =10 years, n=19) to examine the clinicopathologic factors for the 10-year survival after curative hepatectomy.


RESULTS
In the L-group, platelet count and albumin level were higher and total bilirubin level was lower than those in the S-group. In the S-group, the total bilirubin level was higher and vascular invasion was more frequent than those in the M-group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that only host-related factors such as age, albumin level, and total bilirubin level were selected as significant factors to determine the 10-year survival. However, no tumor-related factor was selected.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests that the important factor linked to the 10-year survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients is the host-related factor, but not the tumor-related factor. Especially, younger age, higher albumin level, and lower total bilirubin level are quite important to determine the 10-year survival.
Hashimoto
Koji
K
Department of Surgery, Fukuoka City Hospital, 13-1 Yoshizuka, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka 812-0046, Japan. hkoji1969@yahoo.co.jp
Ikeda
Yasuharu
Y
Korenaga
Daisuke
D
Tanoue
Kazuo
K
Hamatake
Motoharu
M
Kawasaki
Katsumi
K
Yamaoka
Terutoshi
T
Iwatani
Yasue
Y
Takenaka
Kenji
K
D000368:Aged; D000418:Albumins; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis
D000418:Albumins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D001663:Bilirubin