title: Factors associated with recurrence and survival in liver transplant patients with HCC--a single center retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common primary tumor of the liver and is diagnosed in more than a half million people worldwide each year. This study aims to assess factors associated with the recurrence and survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and liver transplantation in a cohort of patients from Medellín, Colombia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive retrospective study of a consecutive series of liver transplant patients from the Pablo Tobon Uribe Hospital of Medellín from January 2004 to May 2013. Demographic, clinical, imaging, and pathology variables were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred thirty liver transplants were performed during the study period, 54 cases (16.4%) had one or more hepatocellular carcinomas in the explant, and 79.6% of these patients were men. Cirrhotic patients had different etiologies, but most of them were due to alcohol abuse (22.2%), followed by hepatitis B virus infection (20.4 %), and hepatitis C virus infection (18.5%). In the pathology specimen, 51.9% had only one focus of hepatocellular carcinoma, 22.2% had two foci and 12.9% had three tumors. Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma occurred in 7.4% patients with an average time of 81 months. During follow-up, 25.9% of the patients died in an average time of 67.9 months (CI95 59.1-80.1 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recurrence and survival of patients with liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma in this study had a similar behavior as that reported in the world literature. The factors associated with these outcomes were vascular invasion, poor tumor differentiation and satellitosis.
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Program, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe-University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoyos
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology University CES. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Escobar
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology University CES. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Doris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cardona
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Program, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe-University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guzmán
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Program, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe-University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Álvaro
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Mena
authors.affiliation: Gastrohepatology Group, University of Antioquía. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Osorio
authors.affiliation: Pathology Department, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Program, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe-University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.affiliation: Hepatobiliary and Liver Transplant Program, Hospital Pablo Tobon Uribe-University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Correa
mesh_terms: D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000150:complications; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009378:Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome