快速康复临床路径在肝细胞癌患者肝切除术后康复中的应用效果

目的:探讨快速康复临床路径在肝细胞癌患者肝切除术后康复中的应用效果。方法:选择2021年1月—2022年1月于南昌大学第二附属医院就诊并行肝细胞癌肝切除术的患者129例作为研究对象,按随机数字表法将其分为观察组(66例)和对照组(63例),对照组予以传统护理模式,观察组予以快速康复临床路径护理模式。对比两组护理满意度、临床相关指标、生活质量核心量表(QOL-C30)评分、术后血栓发生情况、血栓知识掌握情况及并发症总发生率。结果:观察组总满意度为93.94%,显著高于对照组的76.19%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);观察组住院费用少于对照组,住院时间、首次排便时间、通气时间、首次下床活动时间及肠鸣音恢复时间均短于对照组(P<0.05);观察组QOL-C30评分均显著高于对照组(P<0.05);观察组术后血栓发生率为4.55%,低于对照组的22.22%;干预2周后,观察组血栓知识掌握率为96.97%,显著高于对照组的66.67%,差异均有统计学意义(P<0.05);观察组并发症总发生率为7.58%,显著低于对照组的28.57%,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:快速康复临床路径护理干预对肝细胞癌肝切除术患者不仅可提高护理满意度及生活质量评分,还可预防血栓和并发症的发生,缩短住院时间,减少住院费用,为肝细胞癌患者提供更优质的医疗服务。

Impact of obesity on the surgical outcome following repeat hepatic resection in Japanese patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To evaluate the impact of obesity on the posto- perative outcome after hepatic resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Data from 328 consecutive patients with primary HCC and 60 patients with recurrent HCC were studied. We compared the surgical outcomes between the non-obese group (body mass index: BMI < 25 kg/m2) and the obese group (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2). RESULTS: Following curative hepatectomy in patients with primary HCC, the incidence of postoperative complications and the long-term prognosis in the non- obese group (n = 240) were comparable to those in the obese group (n = 88). Among patients with recurrent HCC, the incidence of postoperative complications after repeat hepatectomy was not significantly different between the non-obese group (n = 44) and the obese group (n = 16). However, patients in the obese group showed a significantly poorer long-term prognosis than those in the non-obese group (P < 0.05, five-yearsurvival rate; 51.9% and 92.0%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Obesity alone may not have an adverse effect on the surgical outcomes of patients with primary HCC. However, greater caution seems to be required when planning a repeat hepatectomy for obese patients with recurrent HCC.

Relationship between microvessel count and post-hepatectomy survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To elucidate the relationship between the microvessel count (MVC) by CD34 analyzed by immunohistochemical method and prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who underwent hepatectomy based on our preliminary study. METHODS: We examined relationships between MVC and clinicopathological factors in 128 HCC patients. The modifi ed Japan Integrated Staging score (mJIS) was applied to examine subsets of HCC patients. RESULTS: Median MVC was 178/mm^2, which was used as a cut-off value. MVC was not signif icantly associated with any clinicopathologic factors or postoperative recurrent rate. Lower MVC was associated with poor disease-free and overall survivals by univariate analysis (P = 0.039 and P = 0.087, respectively) and lower MVC represented an independent poor prognostic factor in disease-free survival by Cox’s multivariateanalysis (risk ratio, 1.64; P = 0.024), in addition to tumor size, vascular invasion, macroscopic fi nding and hepatic dysfunction. Signifi cant differences in disease-free and overall survivals by MVC were observed in HCC patients with mJIS 2 (P = 0.046 and P = 0.0014, respectively), but not in those with other scores. CONCLUSION: Tumor MVC appears to offer a useful prognostic marker of HCC patient survival, particularly in HCC patients with mJIS 2.

Selection criteria for liver resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic liver disease

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide with an annual occurrence of one million new cases. An etiologic association between HBV infection and the development of HCC has been established with a relative risk 200-fold greater than in non-infected individuals. Hepatitis C virus is also proving an important predisposing factor for this malignancy with an incidence rate of 7% at 5 years and 14% at 10 years. The prognosis depends on tumor stage and degree of liver function, which affect the tolerance to invasive treatments. Although surgical resection is generally accepted as the treatment of choice for HCC, new treatment strategies, such as local ablative therapies, transarterial embolization and liver transplantation, have been developed nowadays. With increasing detection of small HCCs from screening programs for cirrhotic patients, it is foreseen that locoregional therapy will play an important role in the near future.

Des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin as an important prognostic indicator in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To clarify the effect of a high des-gamma-carboxy prothrombin (DCP) level on the invasiveness and prognosis of small hepatocellular carcinoma. METHODS: Among 142 consecutive patients with known DCP levels, who underwent hepatectomy because of hepatocellular carcinoma, 85 patients met the criteria for small hepatocellular carcinoma, i.e. one ≤ 5 cm sized single tumor or no more than three ≤ 3 cm sized tumors. RESULTS: The overall survival rate of the 142 patients was 92.1% for 1 year, 69.6% for 3 years, and 56.9% for 5 years. Multivariate analysis showed that microscopic vascular invasion (P = 0.03) and serum DCP ≥ 400 mAU/mL (P = 0.02) were independent prognostic factors. In the group of patients who met the criteria for small hepatocellular carcinoma, DCP ≥ 400 mAU/mL was found to be an independent prognostic factor for recurrence-free (P = 0.02) and overall survival (P = 0.0005). In patients who did not meet the criteria, the presence of vascular invasion was an independent factor for recurrence-free (P = 0.02) and overall survivals (P = 0.01). In 75% of patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma and high DCP levels, recurrence occurred extrahepatically. CONCLUSION: For small hepatocellular carcinoma, a high preoperative DCP level appears indicative fortumor recurrence. Because many patients with a high preoperative DCP level develop extrahepatic recurrence, it is necessary to screen the whole body.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 is a negative regulator of hepatocyte proliferation downregulated in the regenerating liver

AIM: To characterize the expression and dynamic changes of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 in hepatocytes in the regenerating liver in rats after partial hepatectomy (PH), and examine the effects of BMP-2 on proliferation of human Huh7 hepatoma cells. METHODS: Fifty-four adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: A normal control (NC) group, a partial hepatectomized (PH) group and a sham operated (SO) group. To study the effect of liver regeneration on BMP-2 expression, rats were sacrificed before and at different time points after PH or the sham intervention (6, 12, 24 and 48 h). For each time point, six rats were used in parallel. Expression and distribution of BMP-2 protein were determined in regenerating liver tissue by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. Effects of BMP-2 on cell proliferation of human Huh7 hepatoma cell line were assessed using an MTT assay.RESULTS: In the normal liver strong BMP-2 expression was observed around the central and portal veins. The expression of BMP-2 decreased rapidly as measured by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. This decrease was at a maximum of 3.22 fold after 12 h and returned to normal levels at 48 h after PH. No significant changes in BMP-2 immunoreactivity were observed in the SO group. BMP-2 inhibited serum induced Huh7 cell proliferation.CONCLUSION: BMP-2 is expressed in normal adult rat liver and negatively regulates hepatocyte proliferation. The observed down regulation of BMP-2 following partial hepatectomy suggests that such down regulation may be necessary for hepatocyte proliferation.

Low central venous pressure reduces blood loss in hepatectomy

AIM： To investigate the effect of low central venous pressure （LCVP） on blood loss during hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS： By the method of sealed envelope, 50 HCC patients were randomized into LCVP group （n=25） and control group （n=25）. In LCVP group, CVP was maintained at 2-4 mmHg and systolic blood pressure （SBP） above 90 mmHg by manipulation of the patient＇s posture and administration of drugs during hepatectomy, while in control group hepatectomy was performed routinely without lowering CVP. The patients＇ preoperative conditions, volume of blood loss during hepatectomy, volume of blood transfusion, length of hospital stay, changes in hepatic and renal functions were compared between the two groups. RESULTS： There were no significant differences in patients＇ preoperative conditions, maximal tumor dimension, pattern of hepatectomy, duration of vascular occlusion, operation time, weight of resected liver tissues, incidence of post-operative complications, hepatic and renal functions between the two groups. LCVP group had a markedly lower volume of total intraoperative blood loss and blood loss during hepatectomy than the control group, being 903.9 ± 180.8 mL vs 2 329.4 ±2 538.4 （W=495.5, P〈0.01） and 672.4±429.9 mL vs 1 662.6±1 932.1 （W=543.5, P〈0.01）. There were no remarkable differences in the pre-resection and post-resection blood losses between the two groups. The length of hospital stay was significantly shortened in LCVP group as compared with the control group, being 16.3±6.8 d vs 21.5 ± 8.6 d （W= 532.5, P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION： LCVP is easily achievable in technique. Maintenance of CVP ≤4 mmHg can help reduce blood loss during hepatectomy, shorten the length of hospital stay, and has no detrimental effects on hepatic or renal function.

Long-term outcome of percutaneous ethanol injection therapy for minimum-sized hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To evaluate long-term follow-up of minimum-sized hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） treated with percutaneous ethanol injection （PEI）. METHODS： PEI was applied to 42 lesions in 31 patients （23 male and eight female） with HCC 〈 15 mm in diameter, over the past 15 years. RESULTS： Overall survival rate was 74.1% at 3 years, 49.9% at 5 years, 27.2% at 7 years and 14.5% at 10 years. These results are superior to, or at least the same as those for hepatic resection and radiofrequency ablation. Survival was affected only by liver function, but not by sex, age, etiology of Hepatitis B virus or Hepatitis C virus, α-fetoprotein levels, arterial and portal blood flow, histological characteristics, and tumor multiplicity or size. Patients in Chiid-Pugh class A and B had 5-, 7- and 10-years survival rates of 76.0%, 42.2% and 15.8%, and 17.1%, 8.6% and 0%, respectively （P = 0.025）. CONCLUSION： Treatment with PEI is best indicated for patients with HCC 〈 15 mm in Child-Pugh class A.

Antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after radical hepatectomy

Objective： To assess the effect of antiviral therapy for hepatitis B virus （HBV）-related hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） after radical hepatectomy. Methods： A total of 478 HBV-related HCC patients treated by radical hepatectomy were retrospectively collected. Patients in the treatment group （n=141） received postoperative lamivudine treatment （100 rag/d）, whereas patients in the control group （n=337） did not. Recurrence-free survival （RFS） rates, overall survival （OS） rates, treatments for recurrent HCC and cause of death were compared between the two groups. Propensity score matching （PSM） analysis was also conducted to reduce confounding bias between the two groups. Results： The 1-, 3-, and 5-year RFS rates didn＇t significantly differ between the two groups （P=0.778）; however, the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group （P=0.002）. Similar results were observed in the matched data. Subgroup analysis showed that antiviral treatment conferred a significant survival benefit for Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer stage A/B patients. Following HCC recurrence, more people in the treatment group were able to choose curative treatments than those in the control group （P=0.031）. For cause of death, fewer people in the treatment group died of liver failure than those in the control group （P=0.041）. Conclusion： Postoperative antiviral therapy increases chances of receiving curative treatments for recurrent HCC and prevents death because of liver failure, thereby significantly prolonging OS, especially in early- or intermedian-stage tumors.

Long-term outcomes of hepatectomy vs percutaneous ablation for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma≤4 cm

AIM： To determine which treatment modality - hepatectomy or percutaneous ablation - is more beneficial for patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） （≤4 cm） in terms of long-term outcomes. METHODS： A retrospective analysis of 149 patients with HCC ≤ 4 cm was conducted. Eighty-five patients underwent partial hepatectomy （anatomic in 47 and nonanatomic in 38） and 64 underwent percutaneous ablation （percutaneous ethanol injection in 37, radiofrequency ablation in 21, and microwave coagulation in 6）. The median follow-up period was 69 mo. RESULTS： Hepatectomy was associated with larger tumor size （P〈0.001）, whereas percutaneous ablation was significantly associated with impaired hepatic functional reserve. Local recurrence was less frequent following hepatectomy （P〈0.0001）. Survival was better following hepatectomy （median survival time： 122 mo） than following percutaneous ablation （median survival time： 66 mo; P= 0.0123）. When tumor size was divided into ≤ 2 cm vs 〉 2 cm, the favorable effects of hepatectomy on long-term survival was seen only in patients with tumors 〉2 cm （P= 0.0001）. The Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that hepatoctomy （P= 0.006） and tumors ≤ 2 cm （P=0.017） were independently associated with better survival. CONCLUSION： Hepatectomy provides both better local control and better long-term survival for patients with HCC ≤4 cm compared with percutaneous ablation. Of the patients with HCC ≤4 cm, those with tumors 〉 2 cm are good candidates for hepatectomy, provided that the hepatic functional reserve of the patient permits resection.

Hepatocellular carcinoma:Defining the place of surgery in an era of organ shortage

Liver resection (LR) and transplantation offer the only potential chance of cure for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Historically, all patients were treated by hepatic resection. With the advent of liver transplantation (LT) patients with HCC were preferentially placed on the waiting list for LT. However, early experience with LT was associated with a high rate of tumour recurrence and poor long-term survival. The increasing scarcity of donor livers resulted in restrictions being placed on tumour size, and an improvement in patient survival. To date there have been no randomised clinical trials comparing LR to LT. We review the evidence supporting LR and/or LT for HCC and discuss the role of neoadjuvant therapy. The decision of whether to resect or transplant remains debatable and is often determined by centre experience, availability of LT and donor organs.

Selection of treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma according to the modified Japan Integrated Staging score

AIM： To compare the prognosis of patients who underwent hepatectomy and ablation using the modified Japan Integrated Staging score （mJIS）. METHODS： We examined the clinicopathologic records and patient outcomes in 278 HCC patients including 226 undergoing hepatectomy and 52 undergoing ablation therapy. RESULTS： Cirrhosis was more frequent in the ablation group. Tumor size, number and presence of vascular invasion were significantly higher in the operation group compared to the ablation group. The local recurrence rate adjacent to treated lesions was significantly higher in the ablation group compared to the operation group （P 〈 0.05）. The 3- and 5-year survival rates in the ablation and the operation group were 66% and 78%, and 50% and 63%, respectively, but not significantly different. Over 50% survival rates were observed in patients with a m.lIS score of 0-2 in both groups. However, survival rates with a score of 3-5 in both groups were significantly lower. CONCLUSION： According to the mJIS system, both local treatments could be selected for patients with a score of 0-2. However, for patients with a score more than 3, liver transplantation might be a better option in patients with HCC.

Choice of approach for hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma located in the caudate lobe:Isolated or combined lobectomy?

AIM:To investigate the significance of the surgical approaches in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) located in the caudate lobe with a multivariate regression analysis using a Cox proportional hazard model.METHODS:Thirty-six patients with HCC underwent caudate lobectomy at a single tertiary referral center between January 1995 and June 2010.In this series,left-sided,right-sided and bilateral approaches were used.The outcomes of patients who underwent isolated caudate lobectomy or caudate lobectomy combined with an additional partial hepatectomy were compared.The survival curves of the isolated and combined resection groups were generated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by a log-rank test.RESULTS:Sixteen(44.4%) of 36 patients underwent isolated total or partial caudate lobectomy whereas 20(55.6%) received a total or partial caudate lobectomy combined with an additional partial hepatectomy.The median diameter of the tumor was 6.7 cm(range,2.1-15.8 cm).Patients who underwent an isolated caudate lobectomy had significantly longer operative time(240 min vs 170 min),longer length of hospital stay(18 d vs 13 d) and more blood loss(780 mL vs 270 mL) than patients who underwent a combined caudate lobectomy(P < 0.05).There were no perioperative deaths in both groups of patients.The complication rate was higher in the patients who underwent an isolated caudate lobectomy than in those who underwent combined caudate lobectomy(31.3% vs 10.0%,P < 0.05).The 1-,3-and 5-year disease-free survival rates for the isolated caudate lobectomy and the combined caudate lobectomy groups were 54.5%,6.5% and 0% and 85.8%,37.6% and 0%,respectively(P < 0.05).The corresponding overall survival rates were 73.8%,18.5% and 0% and 93.1%,43.6% and 6.7%(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:The caudate lobectomy combined with an additional partial hepatectomy is preferred because this approach is technically less demanding and offers an adequate surgical margin.

Hepatectomy for huge hepatocellular carcinoma in 634 cases

AIM： To clarify the safety and feasibility of hepatectomy for huge hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS： A total of 4765 patients with HCC operated at Tongji Hospital were retrospectively studied, of them, 780 patients had huge HCC （10 cm or more in diameter）. Hepatectomy was carried out on 634 patients （81.2%）. The majority of the liver resection were major resections, and combined resection of the adjacent organs or structures was common （17.2%）. The liver resection was combined with portal vein thrombectomy in 139 patients （21.9%）. RESULTS： Postoperative complications were common （26.8%） and required another laparotomy to prevent the complications in 5 patients （0.8%）. The 30-d mortality was 2.2%. The main causes of postoperative deaths were liver failure （n = 9）, postoperative bleeding （n = 4） and septic complication （n = 1）. The 3-, 5- and 10-year survival rates after liver resection were 35.1%, 18.2% and 3.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION： Hepatectomy for huge HCC is safe and effective. It should be used to treat patients with low surgical risks and resectable tumours.

Comparison of laparoscopic vs open liver lobectomy(segmentectomy) for hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM:To investigate the effects of laparoscopic hepatectomy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) .METHODS:From 2006 to January 2011,laparoscopic hepatectomies were performed on 30 cases of HCC at Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital. During this sametime period,30 patients elected to undergo conventional open hepatectomy over laparoscopic hepatectomy at the time of informed consent. The degree of invasiveness and outcomes of laparoscopic hepatectomy compared to open hepatectomy for HCC were evaluated.RESULTS:Both groups presented with similar bloodloss amounts,operating times and complications. Patients in the laparoscopic hepatectomy group started walking and eating significantly earlier than those inthe open hepatectomy group,and these more rapid recoveries allowed for shorter hospitalizations. There were no significant differences between procedures insurvival rate.CONCLUSION:Laparoscopic hepatectomy is beneficial for patient quality of life if the indications are appropriately based on preoperative liver function and the location and size of the HCC.

Low preoperative platelet counts predict a high mortality after partial hepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM： To assess the validity of our selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures based on indocyanine green disappearance rate （KICG）, and to unveil the factors affecting posthepatectomy mortality in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC）. METHODS： A retrospective analysis of 198 consecutive patients with HCC who underwent partial hepatectomies in the past 14 years was conducted. The selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures during the study period were KICG≥0.12 for hemihepatectomy, KICG≥0.10 for bisegmentectomy, KCG≥0.08 for monosegmentectomy, and KICG≥ 0.06 for nonanatomic hepatectomy. The hepatectomies were categorized into three types： major hepatectomy （hemihepatectomy or a more extensive procedure）, bisegmentectomy, and limited hepatectomy. Univariate （Fishers exact test） and multivariate （the logistic regression model） analyses were used. RESULTS： Postoperative mortality was 5% after major hepatectomy, 3% after bisegmentectomy, and 3% after limited hepatectomy. The bhree percentages were comparable （P = 0.876）. The platelet count of ≤ 10× 10^4/μL was the strongest independent factor for postoperative mortality on univariate （P = 0.001） and multivariate （risk ratio, 12.5; P= 0.029） analyses. No patient with a platelet count of 〉7.3× 10^4/μL died of postoperative morbidity, whereas 25% （6/24 patients） of patients with a platelet count of ≤7.3×10^4/μL died （P〈0.001）. CONCLUSION： The selection criteria for hepatectomy procedures based on KICG are generally considered valid, because of the acceptable morbidity and mortality with these criteria. The preoperative platelet count independently affects morbidity and mortality after hepatectomy, suggesting that a combination of KICG and platelet count would further reduce postoperative mortality.

Hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma in end-stage renal disease patients: Two decades of experience at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

AIM: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common disease in Taiwan. The prevalence of viral hepatitis infection and the subsequent development of HCC are well known to be higher in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialysis (PD) than among the general population. However, information on hepatic resection for ESRD-HCC patients is limited. METHODS: The clinical features of 26 ESRD-HCC patients who underwent hepatic resection from 1982 to 2001 were retrospectively reviewed. Meanwhile, the clinicopathological features and the outcome of 1 198 HCC patients without ESRD undergoing hepatic resection were used for comparison. RESULTS: Of 1 224 surgically resected HCC patients, 26 (4.2%) were ESRD-HCC. Univariate analysis revealed more associated disease, more physical signs of anemia and postoperative complications, lower hemoglobin, platelet, α-fetoprotein, elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels, smaller tumors, lower HBsAg positivity, higher HCV positivity, and longer hospital stays in the ESRDHCC group compared with the HCC group. Furthermore, multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that elevated BUN and creatinine levels were the only two independently significant factors in the patients in the ESRD-HCC group. Overall and disease-free survival rates were similar between the ESRD-HCC and HCC groups.CONCLUSION: Elevated BUN and creatinine were the only two main independent factors differentiating ESRD-HCC from HCC patients. ESRD should not be a contraindication of hepatic resection in HCC patients; however, careful operative techniques and perioperative care are crucial to achieving lower morbidity and mortality. Comparable overall survival and disease-free survival can be achieved in selected ESRD-HCC patients undergoing hepatic resection when compared with conventional HCC patients.

Long-term survival for spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma treated with hepatectomy

Objective- To determine the prognostic factors of ruptured hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） and report the management of patients with spontaneous rupture of HCC in a single center during a 5-year period and to evaluate one-stage hepatectomy Methods- A series of 4,209 patients with HCC were collected at Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital from April 2002 to November 2006, of whom 200 patients （4.8%） with ruptured HCC were studied retrospectively regarding their clinical characteristics and prognostic factors. The one-stage therapeutic approach to manage ruptured HCC consisted of initial management by conservative method, transarterial embolization （TAE） or surgical hepatectomy. Results of various treatments were evaluated and compared in the randomly selected 202 patients with no history of rupture during the same study period. Results： A total of 200 patients with spontaneous rupture of HCC were studied who underwent surgical treatment （n=105）, TAE 33 and conservative treatment （ConT 62）. A multivariate analysis using the Cox hazard regression model （including all the patients n=200） identified surgical hepatectomy as the only independent factor determining a relatively long survival period （P〈0.0001） On the other hand, in a further analysis of the patients in whom surgical hepatectomy was successfully performed （n=105）, which identified a maximum tumor size exceeding 6 cm as significant determinants of a poor 12-month （P=0.036）, and a multivariate analysis did not identify as any inverse independent factor determining relatively long-term survival, only a maximum tumor size exceeding 6 cm exhibited a tendency toward being a determinant factor （P=0.083）. Conelusionz Considering the high propensity to spontaneous rupture, as long as preoperatively clinical evaluation meet surgery requirements, elective one-stage hepatectomy for patients with ruptured HCC is the first treatment option. Prolonged survival could be achieved in selected patients with hepatic resection, although the survival results were inferior to those of the patients who did not have the complication of rupture

Transarterial embolization chemotherapy at early stage after hepatectomy of 45 patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective: To investigate the effect of transarterial embolization (TAE) at early stage postoperatively to prevent rumor recurrence after hepatectomy in patients with large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Forty-five volunteer patients with large HCC received TAE 2 to 4 weeks after the hepatectomy. Another 48 patients with large HCC without postoperative TAE treatment served as control. Results: No severe complications associated with TAE or hepatectomy occurred, and follow-up visit of all patients revealed that 1-year recurrence rate for patients with PAL was markedly lower than those without (43.24%vs 70.73%, P＜0.05＝. Conclusion: The treatment with TAE at early stage after hepatectomy is safe and feasible for the patients with liver function Child-Pugh score not higher than 8, and it may help reduce the postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts the outcomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis after hepatectomy

Objective The aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of the preoperative peripheral neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio （NLR） in patients with hepatocellular cancer （HCC） and cirrhosis after hepa- tectomy. Methods This retrospective study included 321 patients with HCC who underwent resection. The NLR was calculated using the neutrophil and lymphocyte counts in routine preoperative blood tests. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to select the most appropriate NLR cutoff value. The preoperative NLR, patient demographics, and clinical and pathological data, including disease-free survival （DFS） and overall survival （OS）, were analyzed. Results The NLR was correlated with alpha-fetoprotein levels （X2 = 5.876, P = 0.015）, tumor size （X2 = 32.046, P 〈 0.001）, portal vein tumor thrombus （PVTT; x2 = 4.930, P = 0.026）, tumor encapsulation （x2 = 7.243, P = 0.007）, and recurrence （x2 = 7.717, P = 0.005）. Multivariate analyses illustrated that the number of tumors, PVTT, tumor size, and the NLR were independent factors for predicting DFS and OS. in patients with HCC and cirrhosis, but not among those without cirrhosis, a larger NLR predicted poorer postoperative DFS and OS （both P 〈 0.001）. Conclusion As a simple, effective independent predictor for patients with HCC, the preoperative NLR plays an important role in accurately predicting the postoperative outcomes of patients with HCC and cir- rhosis, but not those of patients without cirrhosis.