Tumor biology and pre-transplant locoregional treatments determine outcomes in patients with T3 hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation.
Liver transplantation is the optimal treatment for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. This study was conducted to determine the impact of pre-transplant locoregional therapy (LRT) on HCC and our institution's experience with expansion to United Network of Organ Sharing Region 4 T3 (R4T3) criteria. Two hundred and twenty-five patients with HCC (176 meeting Milan and 49 meeting R4T3 criteria) underwent liver transplantation from 2002 to 2008. Compared with the Milan criteria, HCCs in R4T3 criteria displayed less favorable biological features such as higher median alpha-fetoprotein level (21.9 vs. 8.5 ng/mL, p = 0.01), larger tumor size, larger tumor number, and higher incidence of microvascular invasion (22% vs. 5%, p = 0.002). As a result, patients meeting Milan criteria had better five-yr survival (79% vs. 69%, p = 0.03) and a trend toward lower HCC recurrence rates (5% vs. 13%, p = 0.05). Pre-transplant LRT did not affect post-transplant outcomes in patients meeting Milan criteria but did result in lower three-yr HCC recurrence (7% vs. 75%, p < 0.001) and better three-yr survival (p = 0.02) in patients meeting R4T3 criteria. Tumor biology and pre-transplant LRT are important factors that determine the post-transplant outcomes in patients with HCC who meet R4T3 criteria.
Simmons Transplant Institute, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
Peter T W
PT
Kim
Nicholas
N
Onaca
Srinath
S
Chinnakotla
Gary L
GL
Davis
Linda W
LW
Jennings
Greg J
GJ
McKenna
Richard M
RM
Ruiz
Marlon F
MF
Levy
Robert
R
Goldstein
Goran B
GB
Klintmalm
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D047368:Tumor Burden
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents