Hepatocellular carcinoma in Child's A cirrhosis: a retrospective analysis of matched pairs following liver transplantation vs. liver resection according to the intention-to-treat principle

Liver transplantation vs liver resection in HCC: promoting extensive collaborative research through a survival meta-analysis of meta-analyses

Background

HCC is a major global health concern, necessitating effective treatment strategies. This study conducts a meta-analysis of meta-analyses comparing liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT) for HCC.

Methods

The systematic review included meta-analyses comparing liver resection vs. liver transplantation in HCC, following PRISMA guidelines. Primary outcomes included 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). AMSTAR-2 assessed study quality. Citation matrix and hierarchical clustering validated the consistency of the included studies.

Results

A search identified 10 meta-analyses for inclusion. The median Pearson correlation coefficient for citations was 0.59 (IQR 0.41-0.65). LT showed better 5-year survival and disease-free survival in all HCC (OR): 0.79; 95% CI: 0.67-0.93, I^2:57% and OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.25-0.75, I^2:96%). Five-year survival in early HCC and ITT was 0.63 (95% CI: 0.50-0.78, I^2:0%) and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.39-0.92, I^2:0%). Salvage LT vs. Primary LT did not differ between 5-year survival and disease-free survival (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.33-1.15, I^2:0% and 0.93; 95% CI: 0.82-1.04, I^2:0%).

Conclusion

Overall, the study underscores the superior survival outcomes associated with LT over LR in HCC treatment, supported by comprehensive meta-analysis and clustering analysis. There was no difference in survival or recurrence rate between salvage LT and primary LT. Therefore, considering the organ shortage, HCC can be resected and transplanted in case of recurrence.

Changes of long-term survival of resection and liver transplantation in hepatocellular carcinoma throughout the years: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) still is one of the most detrimental malignant diseases in the world. As two curative surgical therapies exist, the discussion whether to opt for liver resection (LR) or transplantation (LT) is ongoing, especially as novel techniques to improve outcome have emerged for both. The aim of the study was to investigate how the utilization and outcome of the respective modalities changed through time.

METHODS

We searched Medline and PubMed for relevant publications comparing LT and LR in HCC patients during the time period from 1990 to 2022, prior to March 31, 2023. A total of 63 studies involving 19,804 patients - of whom 8178 patients received a liver graft and 11,626 underwent partial hepatectomy - were included in this meta-analysis.

RESULTS

LT is associated with significantly better 5-year overall survival (OS) (64.83%) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) (70.20%) than LR (OS: 50.83%, OR: 1.79, p < 0.001; RFS: 34.46%, OR: 5.32, p < 0.001). However, these differences are not as evident in short-term intervals. Older cohorts showed comparable disparities between the outcome of the respective modalities, as did newer cohorts after 2005. This might be due to the similar improvement in survival rates that were observed for both, LT (15-23%) and LR (12-20%) during the last 30 years.

CONCLUSION

LT still outperforms LR in the therapy of HCC in terms of long-term survival rates. Yet, LR outcome has remarkably improved which is of major importance in reference to the well-known limitations that occur in LT.

Prognostic role of selection criteria for liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a network meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are selected for transplantation if they have a low tumour burden and low risk of recurrence. The morphometric Milan criteria have been the cornerstone for patient selection, but dynamic morphological and biological tumour characteristics surfaced as an encouraging tool to refine the selection of patients with HCC and to support the expansion of the Milan criteria. The outcomes of the most prevalent models that select patients with HCC for liver transplantation were analysed in this study, which aimed to identify the selection model that offered the best recurrence-free and overall survival after transplantation.

METHODS

Studies that compared Milan, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), up-to-seven (UPTS), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and MetroTicket 2.0 (MT2) models were included. One-year, 3-year, and 5-year recurrence-free and overall survival rates of patients selected for transplantation using different models were analysed.

RESULTS

A total of 60 850 adult patients with HCC selected for liver transplantation using Milan, UCSF, UPTS, AFP, or MT2 criteria were included. Patients selected for transplantation using the MT2 model had the highest 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence-free survival. In addition, patients selected for transplantation using MT2 criteria had the best 1- and 3-year overall survival, whereas patients selected for transplantation using the Milan criteria had the best 5-year overall survival rates.

CONCLUSION

The MT2 model offered the best post-transplant outcomes in patients with HCC, highlighting the importance of considering tumour morphology and biology when selecting patients with HCC for liver transplantation.

Resection or Transplant in Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has an incidence of 5-10 per 100 000 persons per year in the Western world. In 20% of cases, surgical liver resection (LR) or liver transplantation (LT) can be performed. LT results in longer survival, as it involves resection not only of the tumor, but of pre - cancerous tissue as well. The optimal allocation of donor organs depends on the identification of patients for whom LR is adequate treatment. In this meta-analysis, we compare LT and LR for patients with early HCC and wellcompensated cirrhosis.

METHODS

A systematic review of the pertinent literature was followed by a subgroup analysis of the studies in which patients with early HCC and wellcompensated cirrhosis were followed up after either LR or LT. Overall survival at 1, 3, and 5 years, as well as morbidity and mortality, were compared in a random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

54 studies with a total of 13 794 patients were included. Among patients with early HCC, the overall survival after LT became higher than the overall survival after LR 5 years after surgery (66.67% versus 60.35%, odds ratio 0.60 [0.45; 0.78], p <0.001); there was no significant difference 1 year or 3 years after surgery. Nor was there any significant difference in morbidity or mortality between the two types of treatment in this subgroup. These findings contrast with the results obtained in all of the studies, which documented significantly better survival 3 years after LT.

CONCLUSION

Three years after surgery, the survival rates and complication rates of patients with early HCC treated with either LR or LT are comparable. Resection should therefore be the preferred form of treatment if the prerequisites for it are met. In case of recurrent tumor, these patients can still be evaluated for liver transplantation. This strategy could improve the allocation of donor organs.

Comparison between liver resection and liver transplantation on outcomes in patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma meeting UNOS criteria: a population-based study of the SEER database

Liver resection (LR) and liver transplantation (LT) are potential curative treatment methods for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, it is controversial which treatment is more beneficial to patients with solitary HCC meeting the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) criteria (single lesion, diameter≤50mm, no vascular invasion, no extrahepatic metastasis). We retrieved patients with solitary HCC meeting UNOS criteria diagnosed between 2004-2013 from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the impact of surgery type (LR/LT) on overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in both the whole study group and subgroups. Our analyses show that LT Patients had significantly superior OS (Adjusted HR (95% CI): 0.39 [0.26-0.59]) and DSS (Adjusted HR (95% CI): 0.19 [0.10-0.35]) than those receiving LR, although compared with the 288 patients receiving LR, the 258 patients receiving LT had younger age, smaller tumor size, and higher fibrosis score (P<0.001). Subgroup analyses identified significant interactions between surgery type (LR/LT) and gender (Male/Female) in both OS (P=0.02) and DSS (P=0.02). Male patients benefit more from LT compared with LR in both OS (Adjusted HR (95% CI): 0.29 [0.18-0.47]) and DSS (Adjusted HR (95% CI): 0.10 [0.05-0.21]), but there is no difference between patients receiving LT and LR in female patients. In conclusion, LT is associated with superior survival than LR in patients with solitary HCC meeting UNOS criteria. Moreover, male patients benefits more from LT than LR, while female patients do not show different outcomes between the two procedures.

Personalized treatment of patients with very early hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in its very early stage, is heterogeneous both in terms of liver function (i.e., presence or absence of portal hypertension, model for end-stage liver disease score, Child-Pugh score 5 or 6, bilirubin level) and tumor characteristics (i.e., location, alpha-fetoprotein values, pathological features such as microvascular invasion, tumor grade and satellitosis). Existing evidence in comparing different curative options for patients with very early HCC is poor due to small sample sizes and lack of solid subgroup analyses. Large observational studies are available, with the potential to identify effective interventions in different subgroup of patients and to discover which treatments work "in a real world setting". These studies suggest some important treatment selection strategies in very early HCC patients. According to extent of liver resection, and liver function, percutaneous ablation or liver resection are the recommended first line therapies in these patients. Laparoscopic surgery (resection or ablation) is the preferable strategy when the tumor is in the surface of the liver or close to extra-hepatic organs. Due to scarce donor resources and competition with patients at high transplant benefit (HCC patients unsuitable for non-transplant radical therapies and non-HCC patients with decompensated cirrhosis), transplantation is recommended only as second line therapy in patients with very early stage HCC in case of tumor recurrence or liver failure after ablation or liver resection.