title: Competing risk analysis on outcome after hepatic resection of hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate death for liver failure and for tumor recurrence as competing events after hepatectomy of hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 864 cirrhotic Child-Pugh class A consecutive patients, submitted to curative hepatectomy (1997-2013) at two tertiary referral hospitals, were used for competing-risk analysis through the Fine and Gray method, aimed at assessing in which circumstances the oncological benefit from tumour removal is greater than the risk of dying from hepatic decompensation. To accomplish this task, the average risk of these two competing events, over 5 years of follow-up, was calculated through the integral of each cumulative incidence function, and represented the main comparison parameter.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within a median follow-up of 5.6 years, death was attributable to tumor recurrence in 63.5%, and to liver failure in 21.2% of cases. In the first 16 mo, the risk of dying due to liver failure exceeded that of dying due to tumor relapse. Tumor stage only affects death from recurrence; whereas hepatitis C infection, Model for End-stage Liver Disease score, extent of hepatectomy and portal hypertension influence death from liver failure (P< 0.05 in all cases). The combination of these clinical and tumoral features identifies those patients in whom the risk of dying from liver failure did not exceed the tumour-related mortality, representing optimal surgical candidates. It also identifies those clinical circumstances where the oncological benefit would be borderline or even where the surgery would be harmful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Having knowledge of these competing events can be used to weigh the risks and benefits of hepatic resection in each clinical circumstance, separating optimal from non-optimal surgical candidates.
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cucchetti
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sposito
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio Daniele
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Citterio
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cescon
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bongini
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ercolani
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cotsoglou
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maroni
authors.affiliation: Alessandro Cucchetti, Antonio Daniele Pinna, Matteo Cescon, Giorgio Ercolani, Lorenzo Maroni, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, DIMEC, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mazzaferro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D058625:End Stage Liver Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000150:complications; D008099:Liver / Q000601:surgery*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D017093:Liver Failure / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Competing risk; Hepatic resection; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Liver failure; Survival; Tumour recurrence