Anatomical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma: A critical review of the procedure and its benefits on survival

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) is the sixth most common type of cancer and the third most frequent cause of cancer-related death. Advances in preoperative assessment of HCC(e.g., imaging studies and liver function tests), surgical techniques, and postoperative care have improved the surgical outcomes and survival of patients who undergo hepatic resection for HCC. However, in the last 20 years, the long-term survival after hepatectomy has remained unsatisfactory owing to the high rates of local recurrence and multicentric occurrence. Anatomical liver resection(AR) was introduced in the 1980 s. Although several studies have revealed tangible benefits of AR for HCC, these benefits are still debated. Because most HCCs occur in patients with liver cirrhosis and poor hepatic function, there are many factors that affect survival, including the surgical method. Nevertheless, many studies have documented the perioperative and long-term benefits of AR in various conditions. In this article, we review the results of several recently published, well-designed comparative studies of AR, to investigate whether AR provides real benefits on survival outcomes. We also discuss the potential pitfalls associated with this approach.

Anatomical vs nonanatomical liver resection for solitary hepatocellular carcinoma:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND The long-term survival of patients with solitary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)following anatomical resection(AR)vs non-anatomical resection(NAR)is still controversial.It is necessary to investigate which approach is better for patients with solitary HCC.AIM To compare perioperative and long-term survival outcomes of AR and NAR for solitary HCC.METHODS We performed a comprehensive literature search of PubMed,Medline(Ovid),Embase(Ovid),and Cochrane Library.Participants of any age and sex,who underwent liver resection,were considered following the following criteria:(1)Studies reporting AR vs NAR liver resection;(2)Studies focused on primary HCC with a solitary tumor;(3)Studies reporting the long-term survival outcomes(>5 years);and(4)Studies including patients without history of preoperative treatment.The main results were overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS).Perioperative outcomes were also compared.RESULTS A total of 14 studies,published between 2001 and 2020,were included in our meta-analysis,including 9444 patients who were mainly from China,Japan,and Korea.AR was performed on 4260(44.8%)patients.The synthetic results showed that the 5-year OS[odds ratio(OR):1.19;P<0.001]and DFS(OR:1.26;P<0.001)were significantly better in the AR group than in the NAR group.AR was associated with longer operating time[mean difference(MD):47.08;P<0.001],more blood loss(MD:169.29;P=0.001),and wider surgical margin(MD=1.35;P=0.04)compared to NAR.There was no obvious difference in blood transfusion ratio(OR:1.16;P=0.65)or postoperative complications(OR:1.24,P=0.18).CONCLUSION AR is superior to NAR in terms of long-term outcomes.Thus,AR can be recommended as a reasonable surgical option in patients with solitary HCC.

Propensity score analysis demonstrated the prognostic advantage of anatomical liver resection in hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM: To compare the prognoses of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients that underwent anatomic liver resection (AR) or non-anatomic liver resection (NAR) using propensity score-matched populations.

Parenchymal sparing anatomical liver resections for hepatocellular carcinoma

The rationale of the performance of anatomic resection(AR)of the liver in case of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)is the removal of portal pedicle feeding the tumor because of the tumor’s tendency to invade the portal veins(1).This technical approach is expected to be effective from an oncological perspective for a disease such as HCC,which is associated with a high rate of intrahepatic recurrence(2,3).In the eighties,Makuuchi et al.proposed the systematic subsegmentectomy(4)reporting excellent results(5),and later some other authors reported new techniques to identify the portal territory of a given HCC and perform a true AR of the liver(5-7).

Prospective validation to prevent symptomatic portal vein thrombosis after liver resection

BACKGROUND Portal vein thrombosis(PVT)after liver resection is rare but can lead to lifethreatening liver failure.This prospective study evaluated patients using contrastenhanced computed tomography(E-CT)on the first day after liver resection for early PVT detection and management.AIM To evaluate patients by E-CT on the first day after liver resection for early PVT detection and immediate management.METHODS Patients who underwent liver resection for primary liver cancer from January 2015 were enrolled.E-CT was performed on the first day after surgery in patients undergoing anatomical resection,multiple resections,or with postoperative bile leakage in the high-risk group for PVT.When PVT was detected,anticoagulant therapy including heparin,warfarin,and edoxaban was administered.E-CT was performed monthly until PVT resolved.RESULTS The overall incidence of PVT was 1.57%(8/508).E-CT was performed on the first day after surgery in 235 consecutive high-risk patients(165 anatomical resections,74 multiple resections,and 28 bile leakages),with a PVT incidence of 3.4%(8/235).Symptomatic PVT was not observed in the excluded cohort.Multivariate analyses revealed that sectionectomy was the only independent predictor of PVT[odds ratio(OR)=12.20;95%confidence interval(CI):2.22-115.97;P=0.003].PVT was found in the umbilical portion of 75.0%(6/8)of patients,and sectionectomy on the left side showed the highest risk of PVT(OR=14.10;95%CI:3.17-62.71;P<0.0001).CONCLUSION Sectionectomy on the left side should be chosen with caution as it showed the highest risk of PVT.E-CT followed by anticoagulant therapy was effective in managing early-phase PVT for 2 mo without adverse events.

Anatomic resection improved the long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma patients with microvascular invasion:A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND The long-term effect of anatomic resection(AR)is better than that of nonanatomic resection(NAR).At present,there is no study on microvascular invasion(MVI)and liver resection types.AIM To explore whether AR improves long-term survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)by removing the peritumoral MVI.METHODS A total of 217 patients diagnosed with HCC were enrolled in the study.The surgical margin was routinely measured.According to the stratification of different tumor diameters,patients were divided into the following groups:≤2 cm group,2-5 cm group,and>5 cm group.RESULTS In the 2-5 cm diameter group,the overall survival(OS)of MVI positive patients was significantly better than that of MVI negative patients(P=0.031).For the MVI positive patients,there was a statistically significant difference between AR and NAR(P=0.027).AR leads to a wider surgical margin than NAR(2.0±2.3 cm vs 0.7±0.5 cm,P<0.001).In the groups with tumor diameters<2 cm,both AR and NAR can obtain a wide surgical margin,and the surgical margins of AR are wider than that of NAR(3.5±5.8 cm vs 1.6±0.5 cm,P=0.048).In the groups with tumor diameters>5 cm,both AR and NAR fail to obtain wide surgical margin(0.6±1.0 cm vs 0.7±0.4 cm,P=0.491).CONCLUSION For patients with a tumor diameter of 2-5 cm,AR can achieve the removal of peritumoral MVI by obtaining a wide incision margin,reduce postoperative recurrence,and improve prognosis.

Anatomic isolated caudate lobectomy: Is it possible to establish a standard surgical flow?

AIM To establish the surgical flow for anatomic isolated caudate lobe resection. METHODS The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University School of Medicine(SAHZU). From April 2004 to July 2014, 20 patients were enrolled who underwent anatomic isolated caudate lobectomy at SAHZU. Clinical and postoperative pathological data were analyzed. RESULTS Of the total 20 cases, 4 received isolated complete caudate lobectomy(20%) and 16 received isolated partial caudate lobectomy(80%). There were 4 caseswith the left approach(4/20, 20%), 6 cases with the right approach(6/20, 30%), 7 cases with the bilateral combined approach(7/20, 35%), 3 cases with the anterior approach(3/20, 15%), and the hanging maneuver was also combined in 2 cases. The median tumor size was 5.5 cm(2-12 cm). The median intraoperative blood loss was 600 m L(200-5700 m L). The median intra-operative blood transfusion volume was 250 m L(0-2400 m L). The median operation time was 255 min(110-510 min). The median post-operative hospital stay was 14 d(7-30 d). The 1-and 3-year survival rates for malignant tumor were 88.9% and 49.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION Caudate lobectomy was a challenging procedure. It was demonstrated that anatomic isolated caudate lobectomy can be done safely and effectively.

Repeat laparoscopic anatomical liver resection in a hepatocellular carcinoma patient:a case report

Anatomical resection(AR)has been reported to achieve better long-term outcomes than non-anatomical resection for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).The surgical feasibility and oncological significance of laparoscopic AR(LAR),especially“subsegment resection”,“cone unit resection”,and repeat LAR for HCC,remain unproven.We present a 67-year-old patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and HCC who underwent full LAR three times,focusing on the technical aspects of the Glissonean approach.Repeating LAR for recurrent HCC could be a safe and feasible procedure.However,HCC recurred in the neighboring segment twice,even though pathological vascular invasion and marginal remnants were not confirmed.We should investigate the oncological significance and advancements in subsegmentectomy and cone unit resection,in the future.

Pure Laparoscopic Liver Resection for Malignant Liver Tumor： Anatomic Resection Versus Nonanatomic Resection

Background： Laparoscopic liver resection （LLR） has been considered to be safe and feasible. However, few studies focused on the comparison between the anatomic and nonanatomic LLR. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the perioperative factors and outcomes of the anatomic and nonanatomic LLR, especially the area of liver parenchymal transection and blood loss per unit area. Methods： In this study, surgical and oncological data of patients underwent pure LLR procedures for malignant liver tumor were prospectively collected. Blood loss per unit area of liver parenchymal transection was measured and considered as an important parameter. All procedures were conducted by a single surgeon. Results： During nearly 5 years, 84 patients with malignant liver tumor received a pure LLR procedure were included. Among them, 34 patients received anatomic LLR and 50 received nonanatomic LLR, respectively. Patients of the two groups were similar in terms of demographic features and tumor characteristics, despite the tumor size was significantly larger in the anatomic LLR group than that in the nonanatomic LLR group （4.77 ± 2.57 vs. 2.87 ± 2.10 cm, P = 0.001）. Patients who underwent anatomic resection had longer operation time （364.09 ± 131.22 vs. 252.00±135.21 min, P 〈 0.001） but less blood loss per unit area （7.85 ± 7.17 vs. 14.17 ± 10.43 ml/cm2, P = 0.018）. Nonanatomic LLR was associated with more blood loss when the area of parenchymal transection was equal to the anatomic LLR. No mortality occurred during the hospital stay and 30 days alter the operation. Moreover, there was no difference in the incidence of postoperative complications. The disease-free and overall survival rates showed no significant differences between the anatomic LLR and nonanatomic LLR groups. Conclusions： Both anatomic and nonanatomic pure LLR are safe and feasible. Measuring the area of parenchymal transection is a simple and effective method to estimate the outcomes of the liver resection surgery＇. Blood loss per unit area is an important parameter which is comparable between the anatomic LLR and nonanatomic LLR groups.

The APR triangle:A practical zone in the Glissonean approach to laparoscopic anatomical right hepatectomy

Background:An understanding of vascular anatomy is crucial for the safe performance of laparoscopic anatomical liver excision.We discovered a triangular zone during the laparoscopic right liver surgery and termed this zone the APR triangle.The purpose of this study was to determine the probability of the existence of the APR triangle and elucidate its various forms.Methods:Analyzed three-dimensional image reconstructions of 66 individuals who underwent liver surgery and calculated the statistics for various types of APR triangles under various grouping settings.Results:The APR triangle was present in the majority of cases,with right hepatic vein trunk type in 68%and right hepatic vein branch type in 21%,respectively.The angle between the right anterior and right posterior hepatic pedicles(AP&PP)was at most between 45 and 90°(74%).There was a 35%chance that at least one of the AP&PP was longer than 2 cm,and a 39%chance that both were.The right posterior pedicle first branch would appear at the bifurcation of AP&PP in 13%only.Conclusions:The APR triangle is objectively present and may represent a practical zone for performing laparoscopic right hepatic anatomical resection more simply and safely.

Case report of the fourth laparoscopic liver resection and review of repeat laparoscopic resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma in cirrhotic liver

A 73-year-old woman with liver cirrhosis caused by hepatitis C virus(HCV)underwent treatment of three hepatocellular carcinomas(HCCs)in liver segment 4,following three previous laparoscopic liver resections(LLRs)over 73 months.Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed three 0.5-1.2 cm HCCs deep within the portal territories of subsegments 4a and 4b.The patient underwent laparoscopic resection of 4a and 4b,with the preservation of the portal branch to 4c,after minimal adhesiolysis around segment 4.The operation lasted 284 min,there was 50 mL of intra-operative bleeding and her recovery was uneventful.She was well,had experienced no recurrence and was HCV-negative,after taking oral anti-HCV therapy,21 months later.LLR is associated with fewer adhesions after surgery and requires less adhesiolysis,because the laparoscope and forceps can be used in the small spaces between adhesions.The present patient underwent four LLRs over 6 years without severe deterioration of liver functional reserve.LLR is a useful localized therapy,which can be performed repeatedly and may prolong the survival of patients with multicentric metachronous HCCs.

The role of minimally invasive surgery in the treatment of HCC

Liver surgery is the first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Minimally invasive liver resection(MILS)has become an attractive option thanks to reduced intraoperative blood losses,shortened length of hospital stay,and similar oncological outcomes when compared to open liver resection.Nonetheless,the safety of MILS is still debated in challenging situations,such as in cirrhotic patients,difficult tumor locations,multiple or large tumors,and repeat resection.The aim of this review is to discuss current indications of laparoscopic liver resection for HCC treatment in the light of its outcomes,focusing on technical aspects of minimally invasive anatomic liver resection and state of the art of MILS in challenging situations.