title: The role of bridge therapy prior to orthotopic liver transplantation.
abstract: Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) offers the best chance for cure in the setting of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A consensus statement recommends locoregional therapy (LRT) be considered in patients with HCC who are expected to wait more than 6 months for OLT to diminish dropout from the waiting list because of tumor progression. This article reviews LRT as a bridge to OLT in patients with HCC.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Meena A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Kulik
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004621:Embolization, Therapeutic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins