title: Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: an update.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with multiple etiologies, high incidence, and high mortality. The standard surgical management for patients with HCC consists of locoregional ablation, surgical resection, or liver transplantation, depending on the background state of the liver. Eighty percent of patients initially presenting with HCC are unresectable, either due to the extent of tumor or the level of underlying hepatic dysfunction. While in patients with no evidence of cirrhosis and good hepatic function resection has been the surgical treatment of choice, it is contraindicated in patients with moderate to severe cirrhosis. Liver transplantation is the optimal surgical treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed search of recent articles (from January 2000 to March 2011) was performed looking for relevant articles about hepatocellular carcinoma and its treatment. Additional articles were identified by evaluating references from selected articles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we review criteria for transplantation, the types, indications, and role of locoregional therapy in treating the cancer and in downstaging for possible later transplantation. We also summarize the contribution of immunosuppression and adjuvant chemotherapy in the management and prevention of HCC recurrence. Finally we discuss recent advances in imaging, tumor biology, and genomics as we delineate the remaining challenges for the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Much can be improved in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC. A great challenge will be to improve patient selection to criteria based on tumor biology. Another will be to incorporate systemic agents post-operatively in patients at high risk for recurrence, paying close attention to efficacy and safety. The future direction of the effort in treating HCC will be to stimulate prospective trials, develop molecular imaging of lymphovascular invasion, to improve recipient selection, and to investigate biomarkers of tumor biology.
authors.affiliation: Dumont-UCLA Transplant Center, Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarrinpar
authors.forename: Fady
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kaldas
authors.forename: Ronald W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Busuttil
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents