Protective benefit of minimally invasive liver surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma prior to transplant

Aim:The purpose of this study is to assess the benefit of laparoscopic liver resection(LLR)for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)given recurrence and future need for liver transplantation(LT).Methods:Data on liver resections were gathered from the Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico-Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad alta specializzazione(IRCCS-ISMETT)from 2003-2021.A retrospective analysis of 1408 consecutive adult patients who had a liver resection was performed with categorization based on the underlying disease process.A sub-analysis studied the 291 patients who had an LLR with an intention to transplant approach after LLR.Results:From 2012 to 2020,ISMETT’s mean annual LLR rate was 45%.Data suggests that a laparoscopic approach to iterative surgical treatment for HCC has demonstrated protective benefits.Compared to open surgery or LT,LLR is protective against the risk of de-listing,post-transplant patient death,tumor recurrence,adhesions,and bleeding in a cirrhotic patient.Kaplan Meier’s analysis showed no difference between post-LT survival curves for those with prior open abdominal surgery or LLR(P=0.658).Conclusion:Laparoscopic surgery has important protective advantages over laparotomy surgery for the surgical treatment of HCC,particularly since treatment is not always curative.LLR can be considered a bridge therapy for transplantation,ensuring less crowding of waiting lists,a desirable condition in areas of donor storage.