Hepatocellular carcinoma in old age: are there any benefits of liver resection in old age?

Realization of improved outcomes following liver resection in hepatocellular carcinoma patients aged 75 years and older

Purpose

Little is known about liver resection (LR) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients older than 75 years of age. This study aimed to compare the postoperative and long-term outcomes of hepatectomy in this patient population according to operation period.

Methods

This study included 130 elderly patients who underwent LR for solitary treatment-naïve HCC between November 1998 and March 2020. Group 1 included patients who underwent LR before 2016 (n = 68) and group 2 included those who underwent LR during or after 2016 (n = 62).

Results

The proportion of major LR, anatomical LR, and laparoscopic LR (LLR) in group 1 was significantly lower than those in group 2. Also, the median operation time, amount of blood loss, hospitalization length, rates of intraoperative blood transfusion, and complications in group 2 were less than those in group 1. In the subgroup analysis of group 1, high proteins induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II, long hospitalization, and LLR were closely associated with mortality. In the subgroup analysis of group 2, however, none of the factors increased mortality. Nevertheless, the presence of tumor grade 3 or 4 and the incidence of microvascular invasion were higher in group 1 than in group 2, and the disease-free survival and overall survival were better in group 2 than in group 1 because of minimized blood loss and quicker recovery period by increased surgical techniques and anatomical approach, and LLR.

Conclusion

LR in elderly HCC patients has been frequently performed recently, and the outcomes have improved significantly compared to the past.

Effects of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation on hepatocellular carcinoma patients: A SEER-based study

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major global health issue, accounting for 75%-85% of primary liver cancer cases. HCC has huge molecular heterogeneity, and the treatment varies among the patients. The aim of this study is assess the effect of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation on the mortality risk in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study, obtaining HCC patients' data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The analyses were conducted using the SPSS software. We investigated the effect of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation on the mortality risk factors using the Kaplan-Meier and the Cox regression tests in the univariate and multivariate analyses.

Results

A total of 68270 HCC patients, of whom 56347 patients died, were analyzed. In patients who performed surgery, the mortality risk was higher in patients aged ≥50 years, Black, single and widowed, regional and distant stages, and grades II, III, and IV (HR, 1.143), (HR, 1.057), (HR, 1.095), (HR, 1.284), (HR, 1.341), (HR, 2.291), (HR, 1.125), (HR, 1.711), and (HR, 1.894) respectively. In patients who received chemotherapy, the risk was lower in females (HR, 0.948), but higher in widowed (HR, 1.143), in regional and distant stages (HR, 1.479), and (HR, 2.439) respectively, and grades III, and IV (HR, 1.741), and (HR, 1.688) respectively. In patients who received beam radiation, the risk was higher in Black (HR, 1.195), widowed (HR, 1.181), regional (HR, 1.439), and distant stages (HR, 2.287), and in grades III (HR, 1.594), and IV (HR, 1.694).

Conclusion

In HCC patients, Black, widowed, regional, and distant stages, grades III and IV had higher mortality risks in several treatment options. In patients who underwent surgery, ≥50 years and grade II also had a higher risk. We recommend future research to assess the radiation sequence with surgery.

Image-Guided Proton Therapy for Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: High Local Control and Quality of Life Preservation

This study retrospectively investigated the efficacy and safety of image-guided proton therapy (IGPT) for elderly (≥80 years old) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Proton therapy was performed using respiratory-gated and image-guided techniques. Seventy-one elderly HCC patients were treated using IGPT. The Child-Pugh score was A5 in 49 patients, A6 in 15, and B7-9 in 7. Forty-seven patients with a peripherally located tumor were administered 66 gray relative biological effectiveness (GyRBE) in 10 fractions, whereas 24 with a centrally located tumor received 72.6 GyRBE in 22 fractions. The median follow-up period of surviving patients was 33 months (range: 9-68). Two-year overall survival (OS) and local control (LC) rates estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method were 76% (95% confidence interval: 66-87%) and 88% (80-97%), respectively. According to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0, no grade 2 or higher radiation-induced liver disease was observed, and only 1 patient developed grade 3 dermatitis. The quality of life score (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 version 3.0, QLQ-HCC18, and SF-36) did not change after 1 year, except for the three-mental component summary (SF-36, improvement). IGPT is a safe and effective treatment for HCC in elderly patients.