title: The risk factors of early recurrence after hepatectomy in hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Early recurrence after hepatectomy is a well-known poor prognostic factor in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. This study was undertaken to identify the risk factors of early recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and sixty-seven patients that underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma from January 2005 to December 2010 were enrolled. The numbers of patients with or without early recurrence group were 40 and 127, respectively. Clinico-pathologic factors were retrospectively analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Potential risk factors were classified as host, tumor, or surgical factors. Of the host factors examined, lobular hepatitis activity was found to be a significant risk factor of early recurrence, and of the tumor factors, infiltrative type of gross appearance, level of preoperative AFP and worst Edmondson-Steiner grade were significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that an infiltrative gross appearance, a high preoperative AFP level, high lobular hepatitis activity, and a poor Edmondson-Steiner grade are independent risk factors of early recurrence. Accordingly, patients with these risk factors should be followed closely after hepatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Soon-Keun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Su
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Hong-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Yeungnam University College of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Shik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Hepatectomy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Recurrence