View article

Objective:

We sought to determine the factors associated with survival after recurrence of hepatocellular cancer (HCC) after resection and the outcome of our prospectively applied treatment protocol.

Background:

Very little is known about the prognosis of HCC that recurs after resection and the outcomes associated with treatments applied to recurrent tumors.

Methods:

A total of 661 HCC patients undergoing resection from January 1988 to January 2011 were reviewed to identify those with recurrence. Single recurrences with preserved liver function, and no portal hypertension were treated with resection. Patients with multiple intrahepatic tumors or poor liver function and no major comorbidities were listed for transplantation. Patients with up to 3 tumors, each 4 cm or smaller, and not eligible for transplantation, received ablation. Patients not eligible for ablation received embolization. Other treatments such as systemic …