Ann Liver Transplant.  2023 May;3(1):6-10. 10.52604/alt.23.0003.

Liver transplantation for hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: A review of European and Korean experience

• Park JI
• Jung BH

• KMID: 2560915
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.52604/alt.23.0003

Abstract

Indications for liver transplantation (LT) are gradually expanding with the introduction of outcomes that act as benchmarks for the efficacy of newer indications. This review intended to summarize the current evidence in LT for hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE). Despite the limited worldwide experience with LT due to the global rarity of HEHE, the reported outcomes have generally been favorable. A European collaborative study presented the results of the second HEHE-European Liver Transplant Registry study, which showed overall posttransplant recurrence rate of 24.8% and 5-year disease-free survival rate of 79.4%. This study identified three risk factors for disease recurrence: short pretransplant waiting time of less than 120 days, macrovascular invasion, and hilar lymph node involvement. A Korean single-center study presented the outcomes in four patients with HEHE who underwent living donor liver transplantation from 2007 to 2016. All patients were preoperatively diagnosed with HEHE. The tumors were multiple and scattered over the entire liver, precluding liver resection. The mean model for end-stage liver disease score was 10.8±5.7. All patients underwent living donor LT using modified right liver grafts, with a graft-to-recipient weight ratio of 1.11±0.19. All patients recovered uneventfully after LT, resulting in 5-year disease-free and overall patient survival rates of 75% each. In conclusion, LT can be considered as an effective treatment for patients with unresectable HEHE that is confined within the liver and with acceptable risk factors.

Keyword

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma; Liver tumor; Risk factor; Tumor recurrence; Tumor biology

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