The prognosis and effect of treatment modalities on recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection

Chon, Chae Yoon; Lee, Chan Hee; Lee, Kwan Sik; Chung, Jun Keun; Kim, Kyung Chul; Han, Kwang Hyub; Moon, Young Myung; Park, In Suh; Kim, Byung Ro

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The most effective method of improving survival in patients with HCC is early diagnosis and curative hepatic resection. However, longterm survival after curative resection remains low because of high recurrence rate after resection. The purpose of the study is to assess the prognosis and the efficacy of the various treatment modalities on recurrent HCC after curative resection.
METHODS
The clinical records of 50 patients with recurrent HCC were reviewed retrospectively who underwent curative surgery in Yonsei University, Severance Hospital from Jan. 1987 through Oct. 1994. The cummulative recurrent rate after resection, the response rate of treatment after resection, the median progression free survival and the survival after recurrence according to the treatment modalities were evaluated.
RESULTS
The cummulative recurrent rate after resection was 3.9% at 3 month, 8.3% at 6 month, 14.1% at 12 month, 21.5% at 24 month, 23.4% at 36 month and 24.4% at 60 month. The response rate of treatment after recurrence was 23.7% (9 patients). The median progression free survival of the patient with reoperation and hepatic embolization was 13.9 months, that of conservative treatment group was 6.8 months and that of no treatment group was 4 months(p = 0.004). The survival after recurrence of HCC was 19.7 months in reoperation and hepatic embolization group, 11.4 months in multimodality group, 16.9 months in conservative treatment group and 8.4 months in no treatment group(p=0.0998).
CONCLUSION
Reoperation and hepatic embolization for HCC after curative resection was effective in improving progression free survival, but overall survival were not significantly different according to the treatment modalities. This results proposed that reoperation and hepatic embolization for recurrent HCC after curative resection improve progression free survival.