Incidental hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: population characteristics and outcomes

Incidental Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation: Clinicopathologic Features and Prognosis

Background: The prognostic impact and clinicopathologic features of incidental hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) detected in explanted livers of patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) has been a controversial issue in previous studies when compared with patients who are diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (pdHCC) before LT. We aimed to review and compare these patient groups in a high-volume LT center. Methods: The present study involves a retrospective analysis of 406 HCC patients who received LT between January 2002 and April 2022. Among these patients, demographic data, histopathologic features and prognosis for iHCC and pdHCC were evaluated. Results: In our series, 406 patients’ final diagnosis was HCC after they had received LT, nevertheless 54 patients in this HCC group were diagnosed incidentally after the pathological evaluation of the explanted livers. The etiology of the underlying liver disease between pdHCC (n = 352) and iHCC (n = 54) groups had some differences in our study population. Most of the patients in the pdHCC group had moderately differentiated tumors (45.7%). On the other hand, most of the patients in the iHCC group had well differentiated tumors (79.6%). There were 158 (44%) patients who met the Milan criteria in the pdHCC group while there were 48 (92%) patients in the iHCC group (p < 0.001). IHCC patients had statistically better 1, 3, 5 and 10 years disease-free and overall survival rates when compared with pdHCC patients. There was only 1 (1.8%) patient who had tumor recurrence in the iHCC group while 76 (21%) patients had tumor recurrence in the pdHCC group (p = 0.001). There is no disease free and overall survival difference when iHCC patients are compared with pdHCC patients who met the Milan criteria. Conclusion: It is the first study to show that iHCC patients may differ from pdHCC patients in terms of etiological features. IHCC tumors show better histopathologic features than pdHCC with low recurrence rate and iHCC patients have better survival rates than pdHCC patients.

Incidental Finding of Multiple Synchronous Neoplasms in Explanted Liver After Transplantation: A Case Report

Liver transplantation is the only potentially curative treatment for patients with end-stage liver disease. After the procedure, histopathologic analysis of the liver explant may reveal neoplasms that were not previously diagnosed in preoperative imaging examinations. This incidental finding of primary liver neoplasms in the explant is not an uncommon situation in liver transplant, and hepatocarcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas are the types of tumors most frequently encountered in this scenario. These are the most common primary neoplasms of the liver, and liver transplantation is often a curative treatment for these types of tumors when they are in their earlier stages. In contrast, liver plasmacytoma is a rare type of plasma cell neoplasm, consisting of a single mass of monoclonal plasma cells, which is treated primarily by radiotherapy and is seldom encountered in the setting of liver transplant. We report the case of a patient who underwent liver transplantation for the treatment of cryptogenic cirrhosis, with no preoperative diagnosis of liver tumors. Analysis of the liver explant revealed the presence of three synchronous neoplasms with different histologic origins: a 27-mm hepatocellular carcinoma, a 17-mm intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, and a 25-mm solitary hepatic plasmacytoma. The patient received no further adjuvant treatment and remained well and with no signs of disease recurrence over an observation period of 44 months. We found no previous report in the literature of the synchronous presence of these three types of liver neoplasms.

Magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs mostly in people with chronic liver disease and ranks sixth in terms of global incidence of cancer, and third in terms of cancer deaths. In clinical practice, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as a second-line diagnostic imaging modality to confirm the presence of focal liver lesions suspected as hepatocellular carcinoma on prior diagnostic test such as abdominal ultrasound or alpha-fetoprotein, or both, either in surveillance programmes or in clinical settings. According to current guidelines, a single contrast-enhanced imaging study (computed tomography (CT) or MRI) showing typical hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma in people with cirrhosis is considered valid to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma. The detection of hepatocellular carcinoma amenable to surgical resection could improve the prognosis. However, a significant number of hepatocellular carcinomas do not show typical hallmarks on imaging modalities, and hepatocellular carcinoma may, therefore, be missed. There is no clear evidence of the benefit of surveillance programmes in terms of overall survival: the conflicting results can be a consequence of inaccurate detection, ineffective treatment, or both. Assessing the diagnostic accuracy of MRI may clarify whether the absence of benefit could be related to underdiagnosis. Furthermore, an assessment of the accuracy of MRI in people with chronic liver disease who are not included in surveillance programmes is needed for either ruling out or diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES

Primary: to assess the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and at any stage in adults with chronic liver disease. Secondary: to assess the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for the diagnosis of resectable hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease, and to identify potential sources of heterogeneity in the results.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Controlled Trials Register, the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group Diagnostic Test of Accuracy Studies Register, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, and three other databases to 9 November 2021. We manually searched articles retrieved, contacted experts, handsearched abstract books from meetings held during the last 10 years, and searched for literature in OpenGrey (9 November 2021). Further information was requested by e-mails, but no additional information was provided. No data was obtained through correspondence with investigators. We applied no language or document-type restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of MRI for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease, with cross-sectional designs, using one of the acceptable reference standards, such as pathology of the explanted liver and histology of resected or biopsied focal liver lesion with at least a six-month follow-up.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

At least two review authors independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias and applicability concerns, using the QUADAS-2 checklist. We presented the results of sensitivity and specificity, using paired forest plots, and we tabulated the results. We used a hierarchical meta-analysis model where appropriate. We presented uncertainty of the accuracy estimates using 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We double-checked all data extractions and analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 34 studies, with 4841 participants. We judged all studies to be at high risk of bias in at least one domain because most studies used different reference standards, often inappropriate to exclude the presence of the target condition, and the time interval between the index test and the reference standard was rarely defined. Regarding applicability, we judged 15% (5/34) of studies to be at low concern and 85% (29/34) of studies to be at high concern mostly owing to characteristics of the participants, most of whom were on waiting lists for orthotopic liver transplantation, and due to pathology of the explanted liver being the only reference standard. MRI for hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and stage: sensitivity 84.4% (95% CI 80.1% to 87.9%) and specificity 93.8% (95% CI 90.1% to 96.1%) (34 studies, 4841 participants; low-certainty evidence). MRI for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: sensitivity 84.3% (95% CI 77.6% to 89.3%) and specificity 92.9% (95% CI 88.3% to 95.9%) (16 studies, 2150 participants; low-certainty evidence). The observed heterogeneity in the results remains mostly unexplained. The sensitivity analyses, which included only studies with clearly prespecified positivity criteria and only studies in which the reference standard results were interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index test, showed no variation in the results.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

We found that using MRI as a second-line imaging modality to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and stage, 16% of people with hepatocellular carcinoma would be missed, and 6% of people without hepatocellular carcinoma would be unnecessarily treated. For resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, we found that 16% of people with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma would improperly not be resected, while 7% of people without hepatocellular carcinoma would undergo inappropriate surgery. The uncertainty resulting from the high risk of bias in the included studies and concerns regarding their applicability limit our ability to confidently draw conclusions based on our results.

Computed tomography for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma occurs mostly in people with chronic liver disease and ranks sixth in terms of global incidence of cancer, and fourth in terms of cancer deaths. In clinical practice, computed tomography (CT) is used as a second-line diagnostic imaging modality to confirm the presence of focal liver lesions suspected as hepatocellular carcinoma on prior diagnostic test such as abdominal ultrasound or alpha-foetoprotein, or both, either in surveillance programmes or in clinical settings. According to current guidelines, a single contrast-enhanced imaging study CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showing typical hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma in people with cirrhosis is valid to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma. However, a significant number of hepatocellular carcinomas do not show typical hallmarks on imaging modalities, and hepatocellular carcinoma is, therefore, missed. There is no clear evidence of the benefit of surveillance programmes in terms of overall survival: the conflicting results can be a consequence of inaccurate detection, ineffective treatment, or both. Assessing the diagnostic accuracy of CT may clarify whether the absence of benefit could be related to underdiagnosis. Furthermore, an assessment of the accuracy of CT in people with chronic liver disease, who are not included in surveillance programmes is needed for either ruling out or diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES

Primary: to assess the diagnostic accuracy of multidetector, multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and at any stage in adults with chronic liver disease, either in a surveillance programme or in a clinical setting. Secondary: to assess the diagnostic accuracy of CT for the diagnosis of resectable hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Trials Register, Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Diagnostic-Test-Accuracy Studies Register, the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, LILACS, Science Citation Index Expanded, and Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science until 4 May 2021. We applied no language or document-type restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Studies assessing the diagnostic accuracy of CT for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease, with cross-sectional designs, using one of the acceptable reference standards, such as pathology of the explanted liver and histology of resected or biopsied focal liver lesion with at least a six-month follow-up.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

At least two review authors independently screened studies, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias and applicability concerns, using the QUADAS-2 checklist. We presented the results of sensitivity and specificity, using paired forest plots, and tabulated the results. We used a hierarchical meta-analysis model where appropriate. We presented uncertainty of the accuracy estimates using 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We double-checked all data extractions and analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 21 studies, with a total of 3101 participants. We judged all studies to be at high risk of bias in at least one domain because most studies used different reference standards, often inappropriate to exclude the presence of the target condition, and the time-interval between the index test and the reference standard was rarely defined. Regarding applicability in the patient selection domain, we judged 14% (3/21) of studies to be at low concern and 86% (18/21) of studies to be at high concern owing to characteristics of the participants who were on waiting lists for orthotopic liver transplantation. CT for hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and stage: sensitivity 77.5% (95% CI 70.9% to 82.9%) and specificity 91.3% (95% CI 86.5% to 94.5%) (21 studies, 3101 participants; low-certainty evidence). CT for resectable hepatocellular carcinoma: sensitivity 71.4% (95% CI 60.3% to 80.4%) and specificity 92.0% (95% CI 86.3% to 95.5%) (10 studies, 1854 participants; low-certainty evidence). In the three studies at low concern for applicability (861 participants), we found sensitivity 76.9% (95% CI 50.8% to 91.5%) and specificity 89.2% (95% CI 57.0% to 98.1%). The observed heterogeneity in the results remains mostly unexplained. The sensitivity analyses, which included only studies with clearly prespecified positivity criteria and only studies in which the reference standard results were interpreted without knowledge of the results of the index test, showed no variation in the results.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

In the clinical pathway for the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in adults with chronic liver disease, CT has roles as a confirmatory test for hepatocellular carcinoma lesions, and for staging assessment. We found that using CT in detecting hepatocellular carcinoma of any size and stage, 22.5% of people with hepatocellular carcinoma would be missed, and 8.7% of people without hepatocellular carcinoma would be unnecessarily treated. For resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, we found that 28.6% of people with resectable hepatocellular carcinoma would improperly not be resected, while 8% of people without hepatocellular carcinoma would undergo inappropriate surgery. The uncertainty resulting from the high risk of bias in the included studies and concerns regarding their applicability limit our ability to confidently draw conclusions based on our results.

Characteristics and outcome of incidental hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: a cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Despite advances in imaging diagnostic modalities, hepatocellular carcinoma is sometimes incidentally diagnosed on histological examination of the liver explant. Our objectives were: 1) To compare the characteristics between incidental and known hepatocellular carcinoma and 2) To estimate survival and tumor recurrence after liver transplantation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Retrospective, single-center study. The inclusion criteria were 1) cirrhotic patients, age≥18 years, 2) Liver transplantation between 1998 and 2018, and 3) hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosed on the histopathologic examination of the explanted liver. Cholangiocarcinoma and patients with early retransplantation were excluded. Multivariate analysis was performed using binomial logistic regression to assess the factors associated incidental hepatocellular carcinoma. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to explore the impact on overall survival and recurrence free survival.

RESULTS

269 patients were enrolled. The prevalence of incidental hepatocellular carcinoma was 4.18% (95% CI: 2.89-6.01%) of all liver transplants performed in cirrhotic patients. The median diameter of the main nodule was smaller in incidental hepatocellular carcinoma (20 vs 27 mm, p=0.004) although they were more likely to be beyond the Up-to-Seven criteria on explant examination (22.2% vs 7.5%, p=0.001), showing no differences in any other histological features. No differences were found in overall survival rates (incidental 70.2% vs 70.4%, p=0.87) nor recurrence-free survival (incidental 100% vs 83.8%, p=0.07) at 5 years.

CONCLUSION

Incidental hepatocellular carcinoma has a smaller size and is more frequently found to be beyond the Up-to-Seven criteria. However, no differences were found in overall survival rates nor recurrence-free survival, although there was no tumor recurrence in incidental hepatocellular carcinoma group.

Prognostic impact of incidentally detected hepatocellular carcinoma in explanted livers after living donor liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

The impact of incidentally detected hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) in explanted liver on the prognosis of the patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation remains controversial with several studies reporting survival worse than true non-hepatocellular carcinoma (non-HCC) recipients. Patients undergoing living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) have the benefit of a shorter waiting time to transplant which in principle should reduce the frequency of new tumors developing while waiting for transplant. We aimed to evaluate the incidence, histopathological features, and impact of iHCC on short- and long-term outcomes in adult LDLT recipients.

METHODS

The present study retrospectively analyzed the patients' demographics, tumor characteristics, and outcomes of iHCC in adult patients undergoing LDLT for non-HCC indications at our center between August 2009 and March 2018.

RESULTS

Five hundred and forty-five adults underwent LDLT in our center during the study period. iHCC was detected in the explanted livers in 28 patients (5.1%) out of 545 LDLTs. Only one patient had iHCC beyond Milan criteria. No tumor recurrence was observed in the iHCC cohort after a median follow-up of 28 months. Five-year overall and recurrence-free survival was 96.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

Incidence of iHCC in explanted livers after LDLT is low and most patients have very early-stage tumors with excellent recurrence-free survival. Hence, no specific post-transplant surveillance or treatment is necessary.

Human immunodeficiency virus-infected liver transplant recipients with incidental hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective multicenter nationwide cohort study

There is a lack of data on incidental hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) in the setting of liver transplantation (LT) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. This study aims to describe the frequency, histopathological characteristics, and outcomes of HIV+ LT recipients with iHCC from a Spanish multicenter cohort in comparison with a matched cohort of LT patients without HIV infection. A total of 15 (6%) out of 271 patients with HIV infection who received LT in Spain from 2002 to 2012 and 38 (5%) out of the 811 HIV- counterparts presented iHCC in liver explants (P = 0.58). Patients with iHCC constitute the present study population. All patients also had hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis. There were no significant differences in histopathological features of iHCC between the 2 groups. Most patients showed a small number and size of tumoral nodules, and few patients had satellite nodules, microvascular invasion, or poorly differentiated tumors. After a median follow-up of 49 months, no patient developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after LT. HIV+ LT recipients tended to have lower survival than their HIV- counterparts at 1 (73% versus 92%), 3 (67% versus 84%), and 5 years (50% versus 80%; P = 0.06). There was also a trend to a higher frequency of HCV recurrence as a cause of death in the former (33% versus 10%; P = 0.097). In conclusion, among LT recipients for HCV-related cirrhosis, the incidence and histopathological features of iHCC in HIV+ and HIV- patients were similar. However, post-LT survival was lower in HIV+ patients probably because of a more aggressive HCV recurrence. Liver Transplantation 23 645-651 2017 AASLD.

Incidental hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation: Prevalence, histopathological features and prognostic impact

Background

Incidental hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) is a histological finding after liver transplantation (LT) which relevance has been scarcely studied.

Aims

to describe the histopathological features of iHCC and to determine its prognostic impact in terms of tumor recurrence and overall survival.

Methods

Observational study including 451 consecutive adult LT patients (2000–2013). Patients aged<18, retransplanted or with early postoperative death were excluded. Median follow-up after LT was 58 months. Multiple Cox’s regression was used to assess the prognostic impact of iHCC on tumor recurrence and mortality while controlling for potential confounders.

Results

141 patients had known HCC before LT (31.3%). Among the remaining 310 patients, the prevalence of iHCC was 8.7% (n = 27). In the explanted liver, 36.2% of patients with known HCC and 25.9% of patients with iHCC trespassed Milan criteria (p = 0.30). Patients with known and iHCC had similar rates of multinodular disease (50.4% vs 55.6%; p = 0.62), macrovascular invasion (6.5% vs 3.7%; p = 0.58), microvascular invasion (12.9% vs 14.8%; p = 0.76) and moderate-poor tumor differentiation (53.9% vs 70.4%; p = 0.09). In the multivariate analysis, iHCC and known HCC had identical recurrence-free survival after controlling for histological features (RR = 1.06, 95%CI 0.36–3.14; p = 0.90). Cumulative 5-year overall survival rates were similar between patients with known and iHCC (65% vs 52.8% respectively; log rank p = 0.44), but significantly inferior as compared with patients without HCC (77.8%) (p = 0.002 and p = 0.007 respectively). Indeed, in the overall cohort, iHCC was an independent predictor of mortality (RR = 3.02; 95%CI 1.62–5.65; p = 0.001).

Conclusion

The risk of tumor recurrence after LT is similar in patients with iHCC and known HCC. A close imaging surveillance is strongly recommended for patients awaiting LT in order to detect HCC prior to LT, thus allowing for an adequate selection of candidates, prioritization and indication of bridging therapies.

Incidence, Characteristics, and Prognosis of Incidentally Discovered Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation

Background. We aimed to assess incidentally discovered hepatocellular carcinoma (iHCC) over time and to compare outcome to preoperatively diagnosed hepatocellular carcinoma (pdHCC) and nontumor liver transplants. Methods. We studied adults transplanted with a follow-up of at least one year. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. Results. Between 1990 and 2010, 887 adults were transplanted. Among them, 121 patients (13.6%) had pdHCC and 32 patients (3.6%) had iHCC; frequency of iHCC decreased markedly over years, in parallel with significant increase in pdHCC. Between 1990 and 1995, 120 patients had liver transplants, 4 (3.3%) of them had iHCC, and only 3 (2.5%) had pdHCC, while in the last 5 years, 263 patients were transplanted, 7 (0.03%) of them had iHCC, and 66 (25.1%) had pdHCC (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between groups regarding patient survival; 5-year survival was 74%, 75.5%, and 77.3% in iHCC, pdHCC, and non-HCC groups, respectively (P = 0.702). Patients with iHCC had no recurrences after transplant, while pdHCC patients experienced 17 recurrences (15.3%) (P = 0.016). Conclusions. iHCC has significantly decreased despite steady increase in number of transplants for hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with iHCC had excellent outcomes with no tumor recurrence and survival comparable to pdHCC.

Alpha-fetoprotein Level Predicts Recurrence After Transplantation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of liver transplantation. In an attempt to predict their recurrence after liver transplantation, evaluation of tumor number and size, degree of histologic differentiation, and the presence of vascular invasion already have their importance established. In this context, the role of biologic markers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is still not clear. This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed the AFP relationship with recurrence of HCC after orthotopic liver transplantation.The current study retrospectively analyzed data from 206 patients with a histopathologic confirmed HCC between 1997 and 2010.The overall survival rates at 1, 3, 5, and 14 years were 78.6%, 65.4%, 60.5%, and 38.7%, respectively. The frequency of recurrence was 15.5%, and recurrence was significantly associated with a lower survival rate (P < 0.001). No association was observed between survival and AFP level (P = 0.153). A correlation, however, was found between tumor recurrence and AFP level (P = 0.002). Univariate analysis of risk factors for recurrence revealed that an AFP level greater than 200 ng/mL, the number of tumors, the degree of cellular differentiation, and the presence of vascular invasion or satellite nodules were associated with relapse. By multivariate analysis, only an AFP level greater than 200 ng/mL remained as a risk factor.Although an elevated AFP level did not correlate with survival in HCC patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation, a high AFP level was associated with a 3.32-folds increase in the probability of HCC recurrence.

Screening for liver cancer during transplant waiting list: a multicenter study from South America

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Surveillance during liver transplantation (LT) waiting list has scarcely been reported in South America. We aimed to describe hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance during the LT waiting list in the daily practice.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A multicenter retrospective analysis in cirrhotic patients was carried out. All patients underwent an ultrasound (US) every 6 months and the last pre-LT US was compared with explanted liver findings. A false-negative case was considered when incidentally found HCC (iHCC) was detected, whereas a false-positive case was considered when HCC diagnosed before LT (cHCC) was not confirmed in the explanted liver. US performance was assessed after excluding cHCC patients referred to transplant evaluation.

RESULTS

Of 643 patients, 129 had HCC, of whom 92 had cHCC (71.3%) and 37 had iHCC (28.7%). Five patients (5.4%) had nonconfirmed cHCC (n=3 regenerative nodules, n=1 biliary hamartoma, and n=1 cholangiocarcinoma). Patients with iHCC had a higher MELD score (23±10 vs. 15±10; P<0.0001), and were more frequently Child-Pugh C (62.2 vs. 36.6%; P=0.006) compared with patients with cHCC. The number of US performed during waiting list was 1.7±1.6 (median 1.0). During transplant waiting list, the sensitivity and specificity of US were 33 and 99%, with positive and negative predictive values of 0.89 and 0.93, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that the strongest variable related to iHCC finding was pre-LT Child-Pugh C status (OR 3.5; P=0.004).

CONCLUSION

Screening for liver cancer remains an important issue during transplant waiting list. However, the US screening method should be reviewed particularly for Child-Pugh C patients.

Incidental hepatocellular carcinoma: risk factors and long-term outcome after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) currently represents the treatment of choice for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Preoperatively known HCC (pkHCC) is diagnosed via imaging methods before OLT or before HCC is found postoperatively in the liver explant, denoted as incidental HCC (iHCC). The aim of this study was a comprehensive analysis of the post-transplantation survival of patients with iHCC and the identification of risk factors of iHCC occurrence in cirrhotic liver.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed 33 adult cirrhotic patients with incidentally found HCC, comparing them with 606 tumor-free adult cirrhotic patients with end-stage liver disease (group Ci) who underwent OLT in our center from January 1995 to August 2012. Within the same period, a total of 84 patients underwent transplantation for pkHCC. We compared post-transplantation survivals of iHCC, Ci, and pkHCC patients. In the group of cirrhotic patients (Ci + iHCC), we searched for risk factors of iHCC occurrence.

RESULTS

There was no difference in sex, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, and time spent on the waiting list in either group. In the multivariate analysis we identified age >57 years (odds ratio [OR], 3.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75-8.14; P < .001), hepatitis C virus or alcoholic liver disease (OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.42-10.7; P < .001), and alpha-fetoprotein level >6.4 μg/L (OR, 6.65; 95% CI, 2.82-15.7; P = .002) to be independent predictors of iHCC occurrence. Both the 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) and the 1-, 3- and 5-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) differed in iHCC patients compared with the Ci group (iHCC: OS 79%, 72%, and 68%, respectively; RFS 79%, 72%, and 63%, respectively; vs Ci: OS = RFS: 93%, 94%, and 87%, respectively; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The survival of iHCC patients is worse than in tumor-free cirrhotic patients, but similar to pkHCC patients. The independent risk factors for iHCC occurrence in cirrhotic liver are age, hepatitis C virus, or alcoholic liver disease etiology of liver cirrhosis and alpha-fetoprotein level.

Super-selection of a subgroup of hepatocellular carcinoma patients at minimal risk of recurrence for liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

A majority of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing liver transplantation (LT) meet the Milan criteria, but these are still regarded as the narrowest criteria for transplantation. Prognostic analysis of incidentally detected HCC after LT suggests that a subgroup of HCC patients is at very low risk of recurrence. To determine the criteria defining this super-selection group, we retrospectively analyzed survival data of 593 adult living-donor LT recipients with HCC in the explanted liver

DISCUSSION

Tumor features of incidental HCC in 38 patients not showing recurrence were analyzed. Of these patients, 34 (89.5%) each had ≤2 tumors and tumors ≤2.0 cm in size. Applying these criteria to 555 patients with pretransplant known HCC (pkHCC) allowed us to identify 79 patients with untreated pkHCCs ≤2.0 cm in size. To date, only two of these patients have shown recurrence, making the conditions for super-selection the presence of tumors ≤2.0 cm in size, ≤2 tumors, alpha-fetoprotein ≤200 ng/mL, and no pretransplant treatment. In 87 patients satisfying these criteria, the 10-year recurrence and survival rates were 1.3% and 92.1%, respectively. After excluding patients meeting these criteria, the 5-year recurrence rates in patients satisfying the Milan, University of California at San Francisco, and Asan criteria were increased by 2.9-4.0%. In conclusion, this super-selection or super-Milan category may be used for validation assessment of various indication criteria and for the development of cost-effective post-transplantation HCC surveillance protocols. Further studies should be followed for deceased-donor LT and patients who have undergone pretransplant treatment.