Salvage liver transplantation in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma:A Meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate survival and recurrence after salvage liver transplantation(SLT) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) compared with primary liver transplantation(PLT) using a meta-analysis.METHODS:Literature on SLT versus PLT for the treatment of HCC published between 1966 and July 2011 was retrieved.A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate pooled survival and disease-free rates.A fixed or random-effect model was established to collect the data.RESULTS:The differences in overall survival and disease-free survival rates at 1-year,3-year and 5-year survival rates were not statistically significant between SLT group and PLT group(P > 0.05).After stratifying the various studies by donor source and Milan criteria,we found that:(1) Living donor liver transplantation recipients had significantly higher 1-year survival rate,lower 3-year and 5-year survival rates compared with deceased-donor liver transplantation(DDLT) recipients.And in DDLT recipients they had better 1-year and 5-year disease-free survival rate in SLT group;and(2) No difference was seen in 1-year,3-year and 5-year survival rates between two groups who beyond Milan criteria at the time of liver transplantation.CONCLUSION:SLT can be effectively performed for patients with recurrence or deterioration of liver function after hepatectomy for HCC.It does not increase the perioperative mortality and has a similar long-term survival rates compared to PLT.

Tacrolimus dosage requirements in living donor liver transplant recipients with small-for-size grafts

AIM:To investigate the tacrolimus dosage requirements and blood concentrations in adult-to-adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation (AALDLT) recipients with small-for-size (SFS) grafts.METHODS: During January 2007 and October 2008, a total of 54 cases of AALDLT with an observation period of 6 mo were enrolled in this study. The 54 patients were divided into two groups according to graft-recipient body weight ratio (GRBW): SFS grafts group (Group S, GRBW<0.8%, n=8) and non-SFS grafts group (Group N, GRBW ≥0.8%, n=46). Tacrolimus 12-hour blood levels and doses were recorded during weeks 1,2,3 and 4 and months 2,3,4,5 and 6 in group S and group N. Meanwhile, acute rejection rates, liver and renal function test results, and the number of potentially interacting medications were determined at each interval in the two groups. A comparison of tacrolimus dosage requirements and blood levels were made weekly in the first month post-surgery, and monthly from months 2 to 6.RESULTS: There were no differences in the demo-graphic characteristics, acute rejection rates, liver and renal function test results, or the number of potentially interacting medications administered between the two groups. The tacrolimus dosage requirements in group S were significantly lower than group N at 2 wk (2.8±0.4 mg/d vs 3.6±0.7 mg/d, P=0.006), 3 wk (2.9±0.7 mg/d vs 3.9±0.8 mg/d, P=0.008), 4 wk (2.9±0.8 mg/d vs 3.9±1.0 mg/d, P=0.023) and 2 mo (2.8±0.7 mg/d vs 3.8 ±1.1 mg/d, P=0.033). Tacrolimus 12-h trough concentrations were similar between the two groups at all times except for 2 wk post-transplantation, when the concentrations were signifi cantly greater in group S recipients than in group N recipients (11.3±4.8 ng/mL vs 7.0±3.8 ng/mL, P=0.026).CONCLUSION: SFS grafts recipients have signifi cantly decreased tacrolimus dosage requirements compared with non-SFS grafts recipients in AALDLT during the first 2 mo post-surgery.

Adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation for acute liver failure in China

AIM:To investigate the long-term outcome of recipients and donors of adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplantation(AALDLT) for acute liver failure(ALF).METHODS:Between January 2005 and March 2010,170 living donor liver transplantations were performed at West China Hospital of Sichuan University.All living liver donor was voluntary and provided informed consent.Twenty ALF patients underwent AALDLT for rapid deterioration of liver function.ALF was defined based on the criteria of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases,including evidence of coagulation abnormality [international normalized ratio(INR) ≥ 1.5] and degree of mental alteration without pre-ex-isting cirrhosis and with an illness of < 26 wk duration.We reviewed the clinical indications,operative procedure and prognosis of AALDTL performed on patients with ALF and corresponding living donors.The potential factors of recipient with ALF and corresponding donor outcome were respectively investigated using multivariate analysis.Survival rates after operation were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method.Receiver operator characteristic(ROC) curve analysis was undertaken to identify the threshold of potential risk factors.RESULTS:The causes of ALF were hepatitis B(n = 18),drug-induced(n = 1) and indeterminate(n = 1).The score of the model for end-stage liver disease was 37.1 ± 8.6,and the waiting duration of recipients was 5 ± 4 d.The graft types included right lobe(n = 17) and dual graft(n = 3).The mean graft weight was 623.3 ± 111.3 g,which corresponded to graft-torecipient weight ratio of 0.95% ± 0.14%.The segment Ⅴor Ⅷ hepatic vein was reconstructed in 11 right-lobe grafts.The 1-year and 3-year recipient's survival and graft survival rates were 65%(13 of 20).Postoperative results of total bilirubin,INR and creatinine showed obvious improvements in the survived patients.However,the creatinine level of the deaths was increased postoperatively and became more aggravated compared with the level of the survived recipients.Multivariate analysis showed that waiting duration was independently correlated with increased mortality(P = 0.014).Furthermore,ROC curve revealed the cut-off value of waiting time was 5 d(P = 0.011,area under the curve = 0.791) for determining the mortality.The short-term creatinine level with different recipient's waiting duration was described.The recipients with waiting duration ≥ 5 d showed the worse renal function and higher mortality than those with waiting duration < 5 d(66.7% vs 9.1%,P = 0.017).In addition,all donors had no residual morbidity.Furthermore,univariate analysis did not show that short assessment time induced the high morbidity(P = 0.573).CONCLUSION:Timely AALDLT for patients with ALF greatly improves the recipient survival.However,further systemic review is needed to investigate the optimal treatment strategy for ALF.

Interleukin-10-1082G/A polymorphism and acute liver graft rejection:A meta-analysis

AIM: To investigate the association between interleukin (IL)-10-1082 (G/A) promoter polymorphism and acute rejection (AR) in liver transplant (LT) recipients. METHODS: Two investigators independently searched the Medline, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Chinese Biomedicine Databases. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for IL-10-1082 G/A polymorphism and AR were calculated in a fixed and a random-effects model as appropriate. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included seven casecontrol studies, which comprised 652 cases of LT recipients in which 241 cases developed AR and 411 cases did not develop AR. Overall, the variant A allele was not associated with AR risk when compared with the wild-type G allele (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.64-1.39). Moreover, similar results were observed when the AA genotype was compared with the AG/GG genotype (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.55-2.02). When stratifying for eth-nicity, no significant association was observed among either Caucasians or Asians. Because only one study was performed in Asian patients, the result of subgroup analysis by ethnicity would not be reliable for Asians. Limiting the analysis to the studies with controls in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the results were persistent and robust. No publication bias was found in the present study. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that IL-10-1082 G/A polymorphism may be not associated with AR risk in LT recipients among Caucasians.